Vox, Silence, Echo
by Meresta
Summary: Most pairings suggested, Slight BalthierxVaan:: When history repeats itself, she does not raise her voice, and Ivalice is yet again in need of heroes. On friendship and trust. Threepart, old fic.
1. Vox

**A/N: **Hey everyone, look at me keeping a promise! Since I never had an overall title for this story, I'm currently settling for this. Vox is the first part of this threepart (I seem to enjoy writing threeparts :P), with Silence and Echo to follow. As I announced at the ending of 'Sound of the Underground', this is the very first fanfiction I have written, meaning there are mistakes and ways of writing I don't use anymore. Please keep this in mind when reviewing :) That being said, please enjoy! :Meresta  
**Summary:** A princess who decides, not to speak.  
**Rating: **PG 13+  
**Warnings: **Slightly suggesting a malexmale pairing, language, violence, use of alcohol, OC for plot purposes.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy XII, or Final Fantasy XII; Revenant Wings.

**

* * *

Vox**

"You're kidding, right?"  
"Do I _look_ like I am kidding?"  
Turning her stern look up a notch, Ashelia placed her hands on her hips and eyed Vaan seriously. He sighed and turned away from the rebellious queen.  
"Well why don't you ask Balthier? I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help."  
Ashe frowned, not sure how to interpret the tone of his voice.  
"I am sure he would." A short silence. "But I am asking you."  
The wheat blond man turned to face her and answered her determined gaze with a look of surrender.  
"I'll think about it."

***

After securing all the locks, Vaan blew out the candles and headed for his room. When he walked past Penelo's, the young sky pirate halted. It would probably be best to let her in on Ashe's request, Penelo being his partner and all. He wasn't exactly looking forward to telling her though, since the blond girl wasn't exactly _fond_ of the queen of Dalmasca, despite of their shared history.  
Vaan had never understood where the sudden dislike came from, or what the cause had been, but he decided that for his own safety, it was best to keep it that way.  
He softly knocked on the wooden door; not that she would be sleeping, but if she by any chance had decided to get in bed early, he didn't want to be the one disturbing. Sleep as an angel she might, she is one hell of a devil when just awoken.

"Come in." Came a soft voice from behind the large door.  
He opened the door to find his childhood friend sitting at her desk, bend over several pieces of paper. The small lamp on the desk was the only one shining, making the room look dark but cozy.  
"Writing to Larsa?" He asked.  
After finishing the sentence she was writing, the young lady put aside her quill.  
"Someone has to keep him informed about your capers." She returned his smile, but a questioning look soon followed.  
"What's up?" Just by looking at Vaan's posture, she could tell that something happened. Having had the luck of spending most of her time by his side, Penelo had learned to read the most subtle ways in which Vaan tends to communicate. The said boy eyed her, feeling slightly caught. Not being able to hide anything from her made him feel uncomfortable at times, even though he should be used to it by now. He stayed silent for a while, avoiding his partner's eyes.  
"It's Ashe."  
Narrowing her eyes a bit, Penelo turned back to her letter and picked the quill up again. She reread her last sentence to get back on track and started a new one.  
"What about her."  
Vaan resisted the urge to hide behind the open door at hearing the icy sound of her voice and convinced himself he was man enough to do this.

"She dropped by the Sandsea today, she had a request." His voice came out as steady as he could manage, but still wasn't free of insecurity.  
"The Sandsea? What business does a_ queen_ have in a tavern?" Dipping her quill in the ink, she started a new paragraph.  
Vaan watched her write, still feeling uneasy about the whole situation. It was not that he didn't want to help Ashe, but he didn't want to get on Penelo's bad side; it's too dangerous there. Even so, his own uncertainty irritated him.  
"She wants me to escort her to Mt. Bur-Omisace, to check up on the progress of rebuilding the temple grounds."  
Now, the blond turned from her letter again, facing Vaan with eyes that are not buying his story.  
"You're kidding, right?"  
"That's what I said, but she's not.."  
A frustrated sigh spilled from her lips as she threw her hands in the air. Vaan subtly took a step backwards, just in case.  
"What is going on in that head of hers?" Penelo started, already sounding quite pissed. "A month ago she wanted to go to Eruyt village to 'see if the Viera are living in peace'. Not a week later she asked you to take her to Bhujerba to see her uncle. After that she insisted on going to Jahara, Gods know what she wanted to do there. It was only two days ago since you've two returned from her trip to the Phon Coast, and now she wants to go to Mt. Bur-Omisace?!" She threw her quill aside and stared at it with irritation. The last weeks she and Vaan had been constantly busy flying queen Ashelia around Ivalice, for purposes that were vague and hardly important. The fact that Penelo could have spent her time in a better way annoyed her, but being treated like a chauffeur bothered her the most. After glaring at her quill for a short while, she calmed, sighed softly and turned to Vaan again.  
"We'll have to be careful, they say a storm is approaching."  
"So.. we're going?"  
A small nod, where after she continued her letter, scratching some earlier sentences.  
"Just know that I'm _not_ doing this for her."  
"Tell Larsa I said hi."  
"Write him yourself."

***

When Ashe returned to the Sandsea next morning, Vaan was there to tell her he and Penelo would fly her. The queen thanked them and promised proper payment, where after she smiled and left. Penelo was getting their airship ready to rumble, cleaning some dirt off her wings and making sure the settings of the navigation were correct. They would depart that evening.

The trip itself went smoothly and without complications. The weather reports predicted a heavy storm to arise later on their day of arrival, but so far the sky had been blue and sunny. It made Penelo forget her annoyance towards queen Ashe, which Vaan was truly thankful for. The set of sky pirates were humming an unknown tune as they were getting ready to land just before the mountain road up to Mt. Bur-Omisace. There was no room for the Galbana to land _on_ the temple grounds, so they'd just have to improvise. What Vaan would begin if Balthier hadn't taught him the working of that invisibility trick, he didn't want to know. Good for him he won't ever have to find out.

"How _are_ they?" Penelo asked her partner absently, but interested. Her fingers moved across the many colored buttons, switches and controls skillfully.  
"I don't know." The wheat blond answered, a hint of sadness in his voice. He didn't even bother to wonder how she had guessed that he was thinking about their previous team members, not to mention friends. Instead, he grabbed the handles of the Galbana firmly, and awaited Penelo's approval to land.  
"I bet they are doing just fine." She continued in an assuring tone of voice. Her eyes moved quickly over several gauges and she nodded. "You can land now."  
"You think?" He asked, pulling the handles down softly. If he landed too fast, Ashe would get nauseous and he didn't feel like disinfecting the guest cabin again.  
"I'm sure of it. Come on, this is Balthier and Fran we're talking about. They wouldn't die if a comet hit them on their _heads_." A smile played across her mouth as she eyed the young sky pirate. The said pirate smiled back at her, silently thanking her for being so considerate. He guessed being like an open book to her had it's bright sides.  
Their airship shook as she hit the ground gracefully, as Vaan celebrated another peaceful landing and with that, a happy queen.

Thinking of the devil, the queen emerged from her cabin and walked up to the two young partners. She held her hand on her stomach and was breathing slowly. Sure, the landing might have been smooth, but she still had to be careful.  
"I thank you." Ashe said, her voice a little shaky. Penelo tried her best not to snicker as Vaan brought his hands up behind his head, standing in his confident posture.  
"No problem."  
The queen nodded, and moved towards the exit. The grey-eyed boy lend her a hand getting off, his partner hopping out a few seconds later.  
"How long will you be staying?" She asked the queen, who turned to eye her, seeming to ponder for a moment.  
"I do not know. It depends on how things are faring here. I will let you know when I am ready to take my leave." With those words she left, wanting to walk the last part up to Mt. Bur-Omisace by herself in an attempt to maintain her independence. Things were complicated enough as they are right now, there was no need for curious sky pirates to meddle with them. They would probably make matters worse, anyway.

"So.. what are we doing?" Penelo asked her childhood friend, as she quickened her pace to keep up with the rapidity he was walking in.  
"Treasure hunting." He answered, a wide grin spread all over his young features. It has been a while since they had last done anything worthy of the term piracy and the grey-eyed man was excited about getting some action. That, and-  
"You really miss them, don't you."  
Vaan halted for a moment and looked at the ground. Penelo came up beside him and held his arm in a comforting way, the way she always does when he feels down. After blinking away something that could have been a tear, he turned his gaze towards the sky.  
"Yeah, I do."

***

"My my, aren't you the fast one?" A cold smile hit Ashe in the face and left her skin burning as her captor eyed her with great amusement.  
"Take the gil and leave. I do not want to have anything to do with the likes of you."  
"You don't?" The tall, male figure replaced his smile with a questioning look. "Then why do you keep coming back to me?"  
"It is not coming back to you. It is blackmail, and I swear by the Gods you will pay one day." She narrowed her eyes and tried to move her wrists, but they were securely bound behind her back.  
"Oh, I'm sure I will. But now that you're the one paying, I'd be a fool not to take advantage."  
"At least try to be consistent, people are starting to get suspicious about my sudden urge to travel."  
"Let them be, I don't mind. Or do you want me to..?" He looked at her in a way that showed, he was capable of anything, but she was too proud to admit it scared her and faced away from him.  
"We have an agreement, have we not?"  
"Yes, but I can pretty much do anything I want anyway."  
The queen looked at the man before her in shock.**  
**"You would not."  
"Oh, but I would." He answered, enjoying the terror seen on the former princess' face.  
"I paid, did I not? You promised!"  
"And what has assured you of the fact that it's safe to trust my word? I might as well just kill you now."  
Ashe closed her eyes, trying to figure out how it had ever gotten so far. She had been playing puppet to him for the last two months, though she had sworn not to be controlled by anyone ever again. Yet here she was, wrists bound and on her knees, before a man who could make her worst nightmare reality.  
"I won't, though. It'd be such a waste." He came closer and dropped down to her eyelevel, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently, almost mockingly. When she backed away from the touch, he laughed.  
"Well now, all things said and done, you'd best be off again." He got up and whispered a few things to his maid, who nodded and headed outside of the small barn they were at. "Be careful when travelling back, there have been predicaments of a hurricane hitting the lands of Mt. Bur-Omisace tonight. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." That said, he blew her a kiss and walked away, leaving her bound and broken. She bowed her head and tried to fight the single tear spilling from her eye, but she had lost the strength to battle.

***

The Stilshrine of Miriam had always been one of Vaan's favorite raiding places. It was easy to find your way, the monsters were slow, and the treasure was plentysome. Penelo never had been one for Tombs and Shrines, she'd rather travel for hours through Ozmone Plain, or the Salika Wood. Still, from time to time she could appreciate a raid in a place where the wind didn't bring tears to your eyes.  
Following Vaan every step he made, they had plundered their way to the core of the Shrine. The wheat blond man was now filling his bags with shiny, colored gems he had found after beating the life out of a Stone Guardian, while Penelo was casting some protection spells, in case he picked up a crystal bug again. The last time her childhood friend had confused a crystal bug for a valuable stone, they had barely made it out of there alive.

"There." He closed his bag contently.  
"Enough?" She asked, looking at the bag curiously.  
"More than enough." He answered, trying to hide that he was having a hard time carrying the now very heavy bag. He failed though, and she laughed.  
"Let's go put these away and check on Ashe."  
Penelo rolled her eyes and followed Vaan out.  
"What do you think she's doing right now?" He asked.  
"I have no idea. I don't particularly care."  
Vaan shrugged and returned his attention to the pathway before him. It might be a place where one doesn't get lost easily, The Stilshrine of Miriam was tricky and unpredictable. Just as he was about to make a turn, he heard some awfully familiar sounding gunshots, not far away from their current position. He faced Penelo, who was looking around to find the source of the noise.  
"Wasn't that.." The wheat blond man wasn't sure if his hopes were playing with his ears, but he was almost certain that this was- "Balthier's gun?"  
Penelo blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but at the same moment two figures came running from the gate on her right. It didn't take long before the young ones recognized their friends, and while Penelo was awestruck, Vaan shouted:  
"Balthier! Fran!" Balthier, still running, gave a small wave.  
"No time for a reunion!"  
Just when Vaan was about to ask why, his partner let out a frightened shriek. The wheat blond turned to find her pointing at a large, skull-like, floating monster. The small wounds it had looked like bullet holes and it seemed to annoy it very, _very_ much. The young sky pirates didn't waste anymore time staring in horror and followed the example shown to them earlier. Running as fast as they could, they soon caught up with Balthier and Fran.  
"Is that.. a Negalmuur?" Penelo asked, increasing her pace a little when Fran nodded silently.  
"Why is it that.. whenever I see you.. I always.. end up running?" Vaan asked Balthier, who frowned at the smirk the grey-eyed flashed him.  
"Escape first, witty comments later."

Later came sooner than they had expected, since the Negalmuur gave up the chase after a very stressful ten minutes. Gasping for breath, the four sky pirates sat on the small set of stairs, just outside the tomb. They stayed there for a while, until their strength had returned to them.  
It was Penelo who decided to break the silence; she had always been the one to recover at a very fast rate, while the other were happy to be able to stand.  
"What brings you guys here?" She asked, smiling brightly, not even bothering to ask Vaan how in the world he had been able to recognize the sound of Balthier's _gun_. Both Fran and Balthier just looked at her for a second, not responding just yet. The blond girl waited patiently (just that alone showed how happy she was to see her friends again) until Balthier decided to speak.  
"Treasure, what else would a pirate want?" He smiled, and started rummaging through his pockets. Fran wasn't looking very healthy, her throat gave off a dark, red glow and she seemed to be having trouble breathing. Vaan noticed that she was uncomfortable.  
"What's the matter?" He asked her, slightly worried.  
"She's silenced." Balthier answered, his hands still searching through the numerous pockets of his leather slacks. "You two don't happen to be having any Echo Herbs on you, do you?"  
Vaan grabbed his bag and did a quick search before shaking his head. "Nope. Penelo?"

"I have a better idea." She said, moving a little to sit beside Fran. She gently placed her hands on her throat at started to gather energy. Balthier and Vaan looked at her, then at each other and smiled.  
"Damned monster popped up out of nowhere and we had just faced a whole bunch of those nasty undead. We had no choice but to run, but Fran got hit before that."  
"Vox.." Penelo whispered, where after a soft, white light emitted from her hands and replaced the red glow on the Viera's skin. After a few seconds, the dark skin looked normal again.  
"Feeling better?"  
"I am fine, thank you." Fran said, smiling when Penelo giggled.  
"I knew those double heels would get to her one day." Vaan stated, winking when the Viera glared at him.  
"And I am sure she has missed you too Vaan, how nice of you to ask." The wheat blond looked up to the brunet and showed an enormous grin, as he extended his hand and their fists connected in a short, masculine greeting. "How have you two been?" Balthier asked, straightening his cuffs.  
"Fine, I guess." Vaan said, looking at Penelo who just nodded.  
"We've been flying around a lot lately, thanks to a certain _queen_." She rolled her eyes.  
"The princess? She's here?" The older sky pirate questioned, looking at Fran with suspicion in his eyes.  
"Yeah, she said she wanted to check up on the restoration of the temple grounds.." Vaan answered. "..why?"  
"We have seen her not too long ago at the Phon Coast. She seemed troubled." Fran said.  
"_We're_ the ones troubled.." The blond girl sighed, as she got up and brushed the dirt off her knees. "Let's go."  
"Right." Her partner got up as well and lifted the bag on his back, trying even harder to hide the trouble he was having with it's weight. Now that he was a sky pirate himself, he wanted to show Balthier just how strong he had become. Despite his effort, the brunet noticed Vaan's uncomfortable position, but remained silent.  
"Why don't you come with us?" The wheat blond asked the two still sitting.  
"Yeah, I bet Ashe'll be glad to see you again after so long." Penelo said.  
"Hm." Fran glanced at Balthier in question.  
"Oh, might as well tag along. I could use some off-time." The brunet got up in one supple movement and reached out for Fran, who eyed him.  
"I can get up myself." She stated, slightly insulted. Her partner shrugged.  
"I was just making sure. He might be right about those double heels, you know." He waited for the Viera to get up, ignoring her killing stare, and together they followed the younger pirates back to Mt. Bur-Omisace.

***  
"Vaan! Penelo! Where have you been, I have been looking all over for you." Ashelia quickly approached them. "Let us make our leave with haste."  
"I would not, if I were you." A local came up to the three, a worried look on his face. "The earlier predicted storm is moving closer every minute. It is not advisable to fly in weather like this."  
"Then how do we get home?" Ashe shot the Kiltias a look of protest.  
"You will be able to leave tomorrow, my lady. As for tonight, I will ready accommodations for you and your companions."

"Best bring a change of clothes too, thank you."  
Both Ashe and the local looked behind them to find Balthier and Fran, walking up to Vaan and Penelo.  
"Balthier? Fran?"  
"Alive and kicking. How are we, princess? I see the Phon Coast has left you with a pleasant tan. Feeling a bit, cooler now?" He threw her a charming smirk, which she caught with an accusing stare.  
"My business here concerns you naught." She said, though she was happy to see the two of them again. If they had seen her on the Phon Coast, they could endanger her secret; a secret she can not risk to endanger.  
"Nothing could be further from my mind." Balthier reassured her, as he tapped Vaan on the shoulder. "Let's be off now, shall we? There is going to be a long day ahead of us by the look of it, so we'd better be well-rested." The wheat blond nodded and gestured Penelo to follow him. Fran did the same, leaving her partner alone with the queen of Dalmasca.  
The said partner got a bit closer to Ashe, placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head to the left.  
"That's one nasty cut you got there princess." Ashe quickly slapped his hand away. She had hoped the cut in her lip would go by unnoticed.  
"I..fell."  
Balthier frowned.  
"Running around carelessly does not sound like any behavior you would show." He took a step back and decided to leave it for now. A harsh gush of wind almost knocked them both off balance, and it started to rain. The brown-eyed pirate looked up at the sky, holding his hand above his eyes. "It seems like the storm has started. Be careful not to _fall_, on your way to the chambers." With those words and a trademark smile, he walked off. Ashe watched him leave, ran her fingers over the small wound and sighed. How much longer was she able to go on like this?

***

The storm had been going on for hours, the wind slamming raindrops against the windows of the building the group was residing. Every now and then, the rooms lit up in a sharp, blue light, caused by lightening that seemed dangerously close. Thunder crashed through the skies not long after, sounding like the end of the world had arrived. Outside, preparations had been made to avoid flooding of the mountain town, large sandbags stood in line in front of the entrance of the temple, where most of the villages residents sought shelter. Vaan, Penelo, Fran, Balthier and Ashe, however, were staying in another building, not too far away from there. The queen was the only one with a single room, and no one really minded.  
Night had long fallen already, but it was not worthy to be called morning just yet. The room Balthier and Fran were staying in, still had the lights on. Inside, the sky pirate was relaxing on his bed, playing a little with the many rings he wore, taking them off and putting them back on in different order. He whistled a tune the street dancers in Archades used to perform on, one of the little pleasant memories he had left of his hometown. Fran was taking her time to unwind in her own way, sharpening her arrows, silent as if the spell never had been lifted.  
"What do you think?" Her partner asked out of nowhere, though she knew what he meant. They always seemed to know what the other meant, even if no words were spoken.  
"She is ill at ease."

"I noticed." He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "And that shady figure at the Phon Coast?"  
Fran looked up from her arrows and tilted her head in thought.  
"The Mist was very strong. Too strong. It felt just like.." She paused.  
"Say no more." The brunet said. "It seems we will have to wait and see how this story unfolds."  
"Will we stay?" The Viera questioned, putting the sharpened arrows aside.  
"Of course. I am the leading man, after all." He smiled at her and turned off the lights. "Goodnight Fran."  
In darkness, she returned his smile with grace.

After what only seemed like half an hour, a soft knock on their door was heard. Fran sat up straight and eyed the door with suspicion.  
"Fran? Balthier? Are you awake? It's me..Penelo.." Some shuffling sounds were made.  
"..can I come in?"  
The blond girl looked at the wooden door nervously, as the thunder crashed through the clouds again. She jumped a little, frightened. She heard moving sounds on the other side and soon after, the door before her opened. Fran stood in the doorway, looking calm.  
"What is it?" She asked.  
"It's.. the storm, I-" The loud sound of another thunder was heard and Penelo shrieked. After the sound had weakened, she giggled nervously.  
"You fear the storm?" The blond nodded. Fran showed a comforting smile and let her in. She sat down in a chair while Penelo plopped down on her bed.  
"Do not mind him," The Viera started, gesturing towards a now softly snoring Balthier. "when he sleeps, he sleeps. We would not wake him if we tried."  
Penelo looked at the sleeping pirate and smiled.  
"Vaan and him have a lot in common." She said, feeling a little calmer now that she wasn't alone. Of course, she shared her room with Vaan, but he was asleep and when he sleeps, there is nothing that can wake him (with the exception of good-smelling food).  
"Those words can best be left unsaid." Penelo turned to face Fran, as they shared a knowing smile.

The next morning, Penelo was surprised to find herself lying in her own bed when she awoke. She had spent the remainder of the night at Balthier and Fran's room, chatting with the Viera until she fell asleep. Her fear of storms had been a problem ever since she was a child, but normally Vaan was around to talk with her and calm her.  
The blond slowly got up and stretched a bit. She glanced at her partner who was still sleeping soundly. His rest was soon to be disrupted though, by a voice she recognized all too well.  
"Vaan? Penelo? Are you awake? We leave this instant!" After a harsh knock and a soft 'come in', Ashe marched into their room, already fully dressed. "We can not waste too much time, the sky is clear now." Soon after these words, two heads popped up from behind the doorframe. Fran walked into the room and stood beside Ashe, while Balthier kept a safe distance. He wasn't really a morning person and he would hate to take it out on his companions.  
"The sky has calmed. We have time." Fran said, ignoring the bothered look Ashelia shot her.  
"..What's going on in here.." Vaan mumbled softly. He had just woken up and felt a bit drowsy.  
"I have no idea, and I think I'll stay like that for a while." Balthier answered, sounding just as drowsy.  
"Very well then." Ashe stated, her voice a bit annoyed. "But I will not wait until noon."  
"We shall leave before that." The Viera responded, watching as the queen made an 'hmpf' sound and walked off, leaving Vaan to dress and get ready. The two older sky pirates did the same, Balthier blindly following Fran, as he didn't trust his own senses at a time like this. Penelo closed the door behind them, turning around to find Vaan sitting on the edge of his bed, staring ahead like a zombie.  
"Awake yet?" She asked him, receiving a tired grunt in response. That's when she realized, nothing changed, and she was very happy nothing had.

***

The air felt fresh and clear, as if nothing had happened the night before. Signs of the passing storm were only visible in some broken branches, and small piles of sand that had spilled from the bags. Nobody got hurt, fortunately, and it seemed like all the buildings were still standing too.  
Fran was the first to come outside, breathing in the morning air, the smell of rain made her feel energized. Looking around, she noticed children playing in small puddles of water the storm had left the streets with, they giggled and laughed. One of their mothers was nearby, warning them to keep their clothes clean, or they could go and do the laundry themselves.  
"What do you mean, storm?" Balthier said. He had left the building as well, walked up to Fran and took a look around. If he hadn't heard the thunder last night, he wouldn't even believe their lives had been in danger.  
"I envy your ability to sleep through all." She said, in a way that made it sound more like an insult than words of admiration. Balthier shrugged.

"Hey you guys, we're ready!" Penelo's voice echoed through the wetted streets. She was dragging Vaan with her, who had miraculously been able to dress himself. He still looked a bit grumpy, but he was awake and that was all that mattered.  
"Great!" Balthier replied, taking the opportunity to ignore Fran's earlier comment. He walked up to the wheat blond. "You're by airship, I suppose?"  
When Vaan kept staring ahead, the brunet snapped his fingers in front of his face, to get his attention.  
"Hello, earth to Vaan, anyone there?"  
"Huh? What?" Disturbed from his daydream, the young pirate looked up at his friend. He created a little more distance between them and ran a hand through his hair. "Ehm, yeah, the Galbana is just past the mountain road." He looked a bit confused. "What about the Strahl?"  
"Maintenance." Balthier replied simply. "Fran and I will hitchhike along with you for the time being."  
"Fine, but don't think you're interfering with my flying."  
"The thought never crossed my mind."  
"Can we go now?" Ashelia had been waiting by the gates and came up to the group.  
"Yeah," Vaan started. "let's go."

It was a short walk back to the Galbana and they were able to pass through the mountain road quite peacefully too. Suddenly Vaan halted and took a remote from his pocket. By pressing a single button, the invisibility shield protecting the airship fell, exposing it to the rest of the group. Balthier whistled.  
"Nice trick you got there Vaan." He smirked. "Wonder who you got that from."  
"It's tough being popular." He replied, quoting one of Balthier's favorite sayings.  
"We do not have the time to fool about!" The queen said with irritation, walking between the two pirates up into the airship, Fran right behind her. The two men looked at each other for a second, grinned, and followed.

Balthier had kept his promise and remained silent for the better part of the trip back to Rabanastre. Fran had spent the time in the guest cabin together with Ashe, but the two hadn't exchanged a single word. Penelo and Vaan had been busy flying, but the wheat blond wasn't busy enough to keep from humming a silly tune. Eventually, his partner and Balthier joined in on the melody and they made their own music for a moment, until Fran had come out of the cabin and politely (in her very own way) asked them to be quiet.  
They arrived on time and dropped Ashe near the West Gate of Rabanastre. Vaan offered to drop her at the Royal Palace, but Ashelia refused. After she got off, the Viera came out of the guest cabin and walked up to her partner.  
"What are we going to do?" She asked him.  
"Check on the Strahl. I suppose we could move on after that."  
Fran nodded and got off, heading for the Aerodrome. Penelo got off too, leaving her partner with the older pirate.  
"So, you two are leaving again huh?" Vaan asked, sounding neutral. Balthier smiled.  
"It's what sky pirates do, they fly. Staying would be terrible for my reputation."  
"Ok, well.." Vaan tried to think of some cool words to say, but he just wanted them to- "..take care."  
"Vaan, please. Who do you think you're talking to?" A friendly smirk.  
"Drop by again soon." The younger pirate ordered, rather than asked. Balthier hopped out of the airship and made a small waving gesture.  
"We're always closer than you think." A wink, and off he was.  
"Vaan! Are you coming?" Penelo shouted. Vaan looked at his feet and shrugged, where after he hopped out of the airship and went back home with his partner. On the way home, he looked up at the sky. Closer than he thinks, huh?

***

Two months had passed since that day, and Penelo was getting suspicious; they had not heard from Ashe ever since they took her to Mt. Bur-Omisace. Vaan told her that she should be happy, but his partner thought he was being too optimistic. Still, there wasn't much the young pirates could do about it, so life went on as usual.  
Balthier and Fran had stayed out of the picture as well, most likely they were trying their luck at the Sochen Cave Palace. Those two could never stay still for long, much like their younger colleagues.  
Frequent letters from Larsa showed that he was doing fine too, Vaan was amazed about the fact that the young emperor and Penelo could write pages and pages of complete nonsense to each other, while still enjoying reading the received letters. From time to time the blond girl would run up to Vaan, pressing a letter in his face saying: "Look at this!", where after she would break down in a laughing fit. He never got their jokes though.

Then one day, there was a different envelope in the mail than the ones Larsa used. It had the sign of Dalmasca on it and was sealed securely. Penelo immediately snatched it out of Vaan's hands and opened it, curious to see what it held. After reading the letter, her eyes widened.  
"WHAT?" She yelled, rereading the letter to see if she had seen it correctly.  
"What? What does it say?" Vaan asked, trying to take the letter from her. She took a few steps back.  
"Ok, wait, I'll read it out loud." She cleared her throat.

"Cherished friends Vaan and Penelo, you are hereby invited to join us for a festive banquet in celebration of the royal engagement between queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca and Devont Remis Margrace. We look forward to your presence at this happy event. With kind greetings, the royal house of Dalmasca."

"WHAT?" Vaan couldn't believe his ears and took the letter from Penelo. He read it himself to find that she had not been making things up; Ashe was getting married.  
"Do you know that..Devont?" The blond girl asked, not sure what to think of the whole situation.  
"Devont Margrace..wasn't he Al-Cid's older brother? The guy with the funeral outfit." It was the best description Vaan could come up with, he had only seen him once. Instead of his brother's colorful style, Devont chose to wear black, which lead to Vaan using the word 'undertaker' when referring to him in conversation.  
"Not really the kind of guy I would picture her with.." Penelo said, thinking it over.  
"Me neither, but she is the one who loves him." Vaan replied, folding the paper and tucking it in his back pocket. "We're going, we have to show Ashe that we support her and want her to be happy. That's what friends are for, right?"  
"Right." His partner answered. "I wonder if Balthier and Fran got an invitation.."  
"Hm, probably not. They don't have an address so.."  
"Hey," The blond girl started. "I wonder if it says anything about a dress code?"

"Cherished friends Balthier and Fran.. A bit too much, what do you think?" The brunet eyed his partner with amusement.  
"Are we going to be present?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in question.  
"We'd be fools to turn down free dinner." He answered, folding the letter and tucking it away. Fran frowned at him.  
"You are aware of the fact that Rabanastre is an eight day travel from here, are you not?"  
"Well then, we'd better get a move on."

***

The banquet was going to take place in two weeks, giving Penelo enough time to find an outfit and Vaan enough time to make the Galbana look shinier than the morning star. After all, _if_ Balthier and Fran were to have received an invitation, he didn't want the Strahl to out-shine his own airship; he was way to proud for that. A few days after getting the invitation, Penelo came running with a letter from Larsa, saying he had been asked to join too. Vaan made some lame jokes, his partner blushed and punched him in the stomach. They had some laughs and ordered food out that day.

Fran and Balthier made use of these two weeks to travel to the Royal City of Rabanastre, where they spent the few days they had left in the relaxing atmosphere of Lowtown. Though Balthier missed the luxury he was just getting used to, he managed to entertain himself. This didn't turn out to be as hard as he had expected and Fran enjoyed her moment of saying: 'I told you so.'.  
She heard Penelo use those words in a fight with Vaan and the Viera had developed a liking to them ever since. They made the point clear in a mocking, yet polite way; it fitted perfectly in Fran's speech pattern. It was Balthier's turn to get food that day.

At the Royal Palace, preparations for the banquet were in full motion. Migelo had been hired to supply the food and drinks and the finest dancers of Archadia were invited to provide entertainment. Everyone was in a happy mood, they had been looking forward to the reengagement of queen Ashelia for quite some time now. Things will be great now, Ashe will have a family and the thrown of Dalmasca will be secured. Rumors of the queen rejecting her position as queen and escaping the country were vanished.

Night fell, flooding the large rooms with darkness. A few candles fought this darkness, standing proud and tall, making the contours of a woman stand out. She was standing quietly on the balcony, gazing at the sky. A soft breeze played with the fabric of her dress and she inhaled the night air, allowing it to calm her mind.  
A man walked into the room, moving to stand beside the woman on the balcony. His arm found a way around her shoulder and he gently forced her head to rest on his right collarbone.  
"Dalmascan evenings sure are charming." A deep, low voice sounded. The woman nodded.  
"They are."  
The man smiled as she woman sighed, sharing a moment of twisted silence.  
"Are you happy, my love?" The man spoke, gently stroking his fiancées cheek with a smile around his lips. She simply gazed at the stars.  
"Do you have to ask?"  
He pulled her a little closer.  
"No."  
It was quiet for a while.  
"Rozarrian nights are beautiful as well, Ashelia. I'm sure you'll love them."

***

"Name." A man hidden in an iron suit asked monotonously.  
"Vaan, sir."  
"Penelo, sir." She smiled at the guard, who returned her smile and checked off their names on the list. Vaan eyed him suspiciously.  
"You may pass. Please enjoy the banquet."  
"Thanks!" The blond girl spoke, again smiling at the man, who chuckled. Vaan grabbed her hand and dragged her further along the hallway. Once he was sure that the guard couldn't hear them, he looked at his partner with a stern look.  
"Don't _flirt_ with the guards, Penelo."  
She sighed. "I was just being _kind_, Vaan."  
The two young ones gave their coats to the staff and hung around downstairs for a while; Vaan wanted to be 'fashionably late' and Penelo wanted to wait for Larsa to arrive. When he did, about half an hour later, the three of them exchanged their greetings and prepared themselves to go upstairs, where the banquet was about to start.

"What do you mean 'not on the list'?" A very familiar voice sounded. Vaan immediately turned around, followed by Larsa and Penelo. Seeing who the man in distress was, he flashed a wide grin.  
"Balthier!" He shouted, waving at his older friend, who noticed him and gestured him to come and help him out.  
"Vaan, you could have told me you had that much spare time on your hands, we could have used you at the Sochen Cave Palace." He said, answering the boy's grin with a small smirk. Vaan looked confused, until his partner whispered:  
"I think he's talking about all the cleaning you did on the Galbana.."  
The brunet heard her whisper and laughed.  
"Are you serious? She's shining so bright I was tempted to get myself a pair of those stylish glasses Al-Cid wears." Vaan crossed his arms and eyed Balthier.  
"Do you want me to help you or not." He said curtly, and his friend rolled his eyes.  
"Oh, please do."

It took Vaan exactly three and a half minutes to talk the guard into letting Balthier and Fran pass and Penelo, dare she say it, was impressed. Her partner had definitely gotten the hang of interacting with others and it started to show. Where normally he would have acted rude to get what he wants, he now played the man before him smoothly into acting his way. He didn't even need Penelo's bright blue eyes anymore, and that meant something.  
The thing Vaan was impressed with, was the enormous amount of food they were presented with when they entered the main hall. Luxurious foods on decorated tables, many wealthy-looking people socializing, some holding tall glasses of champagne in their hands, waiting for a toast to be made. Balthier wasn't raised to be rude, so he didn't think twice when a pretty dancer came up to him, carrying a plate of glasses; he accepted her offer and took a glass, winking at the young girl when she bowed politely. She blushed, Fran noticed and rolled her eyes, where after she took a glass of her own. Larsa still wasn't allowed to drink, since the legal drinking age in Ivalice was twenty. This meant Penelo couldn't drink either, though her birthday was a mere two months away. Her partner flashed the dancer a bright smile, proudly taking a glass, eyeing Balthier shortly afterwards with a 'Yeah, I'm legal now'-look. The older pirate shrugged, trying hard not to take this look the wrong way. Larsa and Penelo happily chatted away, holding the same tall glasses, only theirs were filled with high-quality apple juice. Sparkling, apple juice. Fran came to the conclusion that they were probably the only ones who wouldn't be offended by this.  
Vaan had been looking around, when he saw Balthier chatting up the girl who was carrying the plate a few minutes ago. The brunet smiled charmingly and spoke in a lower tone of voice, the younger pirate couldn't help but laugh. It had gotten amusing to see how his friend managed to wrap every woman around his finger (every woman but Fran, of course). When the girl got called back for work, Balthier had already drank his first glass of champagne; now holding a second as if nothing had happened at all.  
A nice mood had spread through the hall and all the food had been served. Everyone was holding a glass, when a man, fully dressed in black, rose from his chair and cleared his throat. As by magic, the room went silent, awaiting the man's words.  
"That's Devont." Vaan whispered to Penelo, who nodded.  
"He is the owner of the largest medicine company in whole Ivalice, known for their enormous research teams and the best quality items out there." Larsa said softly. "Al-Cid told me about him."

"Medicine eh? Well he could take some himself, he looks deadly pale." Balthier commented, walking over to his younger friends.  
"Or, you have just been hanging around with Fran too much." Vaan countered. The Viera couldn't repress a soft laugh, but just as Balthier was going to say something back, Devont started his speech.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to our engagement banquet. Thank you all for coming, it really means a lot to Ashelia and me that you all came to support us. As you already know, we recently became engaged and we want to celebrate this exhilarating and special time in our lives with all of you, our closest family and friends." He smiled, eyeing some of the visitors, nodding to some. He then placed his eyes upon Ashe, followed by everyone in the room. There was no reason not to, she was simply gorgeous. The dress she was wearing had been designed according to Rozarrian style, giving it a Latin, flowing, warm look. Bordeaux red suited her in a way nobody could have ever foreseen, the white veil hanging around her shoulders breaking the bloody color. Decorative patterns had been painted on her skin, Vaan could not keep his eyes away from her arms. Balthier noticed. Devont continued.

"Ashelia is the woman, who has made all my dreams come true. She brings me happiness and joy, makes me smile everyday. She is truthful to herself and to me and can give me a good fight when I need one." A few people chuckled at this statement, it matched perfectly with Ashe's fiery character.  
"Having her by my side, makes my life worth living. There is nothing I have left to wish for, now that she agreed to wear my ring, now that she agreed to become my wife." He smiled at her and placed his hand on her bare shoulder, she looked up at him.  
"So thank you, everyone, for coming to celebrate this event. Ashelia and I cannot wait until we see all of you at are wedding, when we will become husband and wife. It really means a lot to us that we have your support in this. It shows that you look at us and see a couple who is truly in love, and should be together for the rest of their lives. Thank you."  
When the black clothed man sat down, the room broke into applause. Devont looked at his fiancée and smiled at her, she returned his smile with a soft smile of her own. Then, the sound of glass clinging was heard. When the couple looked up in direction of the noise, they saw Al-Cid standing, holding his glass high.  
"I have some words to say as well." He announced, rather than told. He looked at his brother, who nodded at him, giving him permission to speak.  
"Thank you all for allowing me to stand up here and honor my brother and his beloved new wife, Ashe. I want to congratulate my brother and my new sister-in-law. Congratulations on finding the emotion that is toughest to find. I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness, flowers, cruises, fine wine and stargazing. Mind your health too, although I do not suppose this to become a problem." A few laughs were heard.  
"Here, I end my short speech. Cheers, to the most beautiful couple of Ivalice." He held his glass up high, and everybody present did the same. A chorus of 'cheers' was heard and the banquet was officially opened. People started eating and drinking, chatting and laughing. Balthier wanted to take this opportunity to say what he wanted to say before Devont interrupted him, but he couldn't for the love of the Gods remember what it was. When he saw the dancer from earlier walk around with a new tray of champagne, he figured that maybe another glass would do the trick.  
Penelo was still in her 'that is SO cute!' mode, but Larsa did not seem annoyed at all. He just looked at her while she talked and talked, nodding or smiling every now and then. It made Fran chuckle slightly.

Vaan had gone to talk to the queen, to congratulate her, but when he got close, a group of people got in his way, making it impossible for him to speak to Ashe. He let it slide, knowing he will get his chance later. He was on his way to get more of that delicious reddish bread, when Penelo came up to him.  
"Have you written anything in the guestbook yet?" She asked, pointing to a small table in the corner of the room. Seeing how quiet it was there now, Vaan figured that most people had already written something inside. He shook his head.  
"Nope, not yet."  
"Well, you should. It's nice, they will have something to look at later, so don't forget it, ok? Even Balthier wrote something in it."  
Vaan nodded. "I won't forget, don't worry."  
"Just making sure." She replied, bouncing off to find Larsa. The wheat blond doubted the purity of that sparkling apple juice of hers for a second, but came to the conclusion that it was probably the atmosphere and the amount of people, making her so hyper.

The evening passed smoothly, everyone had eaten and enjoyed, most of the guests had already left the castle. Vaan had to pluck Penelo from the group of dancers performing on stage, though he had to admit she was the best one out there. Larsa would have agreed, but he had to take his leave earlier, together with Basch. The trip back to Archades was a long one, after all. Balthier and Fran had left too, leaving their next destination to be guessed. Their younger friends were at the gate now, waving to the few Moogles they had talked with earlier, where after they took their leave as well. It had been a lovely, festive evening and they had enjoyed themselves very much.

Evening transformed into night and the queen was in the bathroom, slowly rubbing the paint of her arms. Luckily it came off without too much scrubbing, one of the upsides of high quality paint. Devont entered the bathroom after a soft knock and smiled when he saw her struggling to reach a part of her right shoulder blade. Taking the wet cloth from her, he gently rubbed the paint off, eyeing her through her reflection in the huge mirror before them.  
"It's been a lovely night, hasn't it?"  
Silence, then a nod.  
"Many people have showed their support in our relationship Ashelia, there's no blank page left in the guestbook."  
Another nod.  
"Did you enjoy yourself darling?"  
Again.  
"Good." Having rubbed off all the paint, he placed a kiss on her shoulder and put the cloth away.  
"You'd better rest well my queen, evenings like this can be very tiring." He moved towards the door and opened it, preparing to leave, but before he did , he softly whispered a word. Ashe immediately started coughing and clasped her hand over her throat, trying to breath calmly. He smiled at her and left.

After a few minutes, Ashe's breathing had calmed. Her throat still felt sore though and she wasn't surprised. She looked at her own reflection and sighed deeply. There was no other way. Taking the guestbook from the floor beside her, she opened it and flipped through the pages. When her eyes fell upon one particularly boyish handwriting, she paused and read.

_My best wishes to both of you. Whenever you need a ride, feel free to contact me.  
_-Vaan

Ashe smiled and continued to read the other entries on the page.

_Devont, a little advice. Most wedding problems can be solved with red roses. May your love last eternally.  
_-Al-Cid

_Dear Ashe and Devont, I am so happy for you two to be together and in love. I wish for you to stay together forever and live a life full of happiness. Much love,  
_-Penelo

_My congratulations to the both of you, may you rebuild Dalmasca with the same love you share._  
-Larsa

_When you find the one thing you're looking for, don't ever let it go._  
-Balthier

_Love is precious.  
_-Fran

_May the Gods watch over you both._  
-Basch

Two salty drops fell on the thick paper and formed two small, round stains between the many entries. She closed the book and put it aside, dropping her head in her hands. There was no other way. There was no other way. She whispered these words multiple times, before her head sank down from her hands on the wooden dressingtable. A soft cough spilled from her lips and she cringed at the pain it caused her throat. Ashe closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. Slowly she dozed off, falling asleep in the bathroom, for the third time this week.

There was no other way.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated!_


	2. Silence

**A/N: **I still haven't found a better title for this. In any case, here is the second part to this story, Silence. It's a part with many flashbacks and explanations, to hopefully make the plot a little more I announced at the ending of 'Sound of the Underground', **this is the very first fanfiction I have written, meaning there are mistakes and ways of writing I don't use anymore. Please keep this in mind when reviewing :) **That being said, please enjoy! :Meresta  
**Summary: **She will be forced to remain in silence.  
**Rating: **T  
**Warnings: **Slightly suggesting a malexmale pairing, language, violence, blood, use of weapons, one very corny line, bickering that makes no sense whatsoever, OC for plot purposes.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy XII, or Final Fantasy XII; Revenant Wings.

* * *

**Silence**

"What's wrong Migelo?" Penelo asked, putting aside the bag of groceries she was carrying. Migelo had been taking care of her and Vaan ever since their parents passed away, in return they helped him with running his shop. The old Bangaa sighed deeply and sulked.  
"I'm not allowed to cater for the Royal house of Dalmasca anymore." He said, letting his snout drop.  
"They _fired_ you? But how?" The blond girl replied, hardly believing any of it. Migelo had been taking care of the catering of the castle for about his whole life, always delivering a great job.  
"I don't know.." The merchant said, sniffing. "The queen is of opinion that it is time I retire."  
"_Ashe?_" Now this was _really _something. She hid her own astonishment and tried to appear calm. "Well, don't be too sad about it. You still have your shop, right?" She took a starfruit from the bag and handed it to her caretaker, attempting to cheer him up a little. He gladly accepted it and nodded.  
"I guess you're right."  
"You know I'm right." She said smiling, where after she headed back to the Galbana. Migelo watched her take off and sighed again, still feeling sad inside.

Once Penelo had arrived, she found Vaan rummaging about in the kitchen of the ship. He didn't look up but noticed she was back home again.  
"Penelo!" He began, sounding strangely happy she was back. "Have you seen the screwdriver anywhere?"  
"The screwdriver?" She refrained from asking why he was looking for a tool in the kitchen. "It's still in the engine room."  
"Ah, thanks!" He replied, smiling at her and headed for the said room.  
"Vaan?" Penelo called, before he had been able to leave.  
"Yeah?" He spun around. "What's up?"  
"Migelo has been fired."  
"It that's a joke I'm not laughing."  
"Maybe that's because it's not a joke." She said, slightly annoyed. "I was there half an hour ago. He's so sad it hurt me." She looked at the ground.  
Understanding that right now, Penelo needed his attention more than the loose cupboard, Vaan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her to the sofa where they sat down.  
"But why would they fire him? He's never done anything but great work." He asked carefully.  
"I know.." She answered. "He said the queen is of opinion that it's time for his retirement."  
"_Ashe_ fired him?" Disbelief trickled from his voice.  
"Well what other queen do we have?"  
Vaan scratched the back of his head in thought.  
"Well that's strange.. Maybe she just wanted him to rest more. He's been working a lot lately."  
"If she _really _cared she would have known he loves his work more than his own life."  
Vaan sighed and patted her back gently.  
"We'll just let this one go, okay? There's not much we can do about it, Migelo would hate to see you sad over him." Penelo nodded reluctantly, though she knew he was right.  
"Want to help me fix the cupboard?" Vaan asked out of nowhere. His partner looked up at him and blinked. She stayed silent for a while, but smiled shortly after. He was thankful she did.  
"Sure. Wouldn't want you hanging it lopsided again." A grin.  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!"

Time passed and Migelo seemed to have gotten over the fact that he had been fired. This made it easier for Penelo to do the same and Vaan was happy to have his cheerful partner back. One of Penelo's good sides is that she cares. She cares a lot and she cares _for_ a lot. Nice trait as that may be, it also gets her down a lot. It was good that things seemed fine again, because when Penelo's down, everyone's down.

Devont and Ashelia married on a warm, sunny day. Everyone expected them to have a public wedding, but they decided to keep it private. The people of Dalmasca expressed their joy and best wishes by placing flowers near the church while the service was being held. Ashe didn't have time to talk to her people later that day, which disappointed some. Most could understand though, being a newlywed queen had to take up a lot of her energy because she looked very tired, even on the happiest day of her life.

When the queen announced an alliance between Dalmasca and Rozarria, no one was surprised. It was natural that her husband's homeland would ally with Dalmasca, now that Dalmasca's new king had become a Rozarrian. The announcement was an event where many Rozarrians attended to, together with the people from Rabanastre they celebrated all night long in honor of their newfound peace and love.

Larsa's letters got more weary over the weeks, though. The Empire of Archadia was intimidated by the huge front Rozarria and Dalmasca formed together, controlling the complete West half of Ivalice. The council had asked Lord Larsa to ally with Nabradia, to increase their power as well, but the young emperor refused. He would not force an alliance just for the 'who's more powerful' game the two empires have been playing for a long, long time. Archadia didn't need that, he claimed, earning the respect of his people once more.  
Penelo read his letters of political actions with interest and showed them to Vaan, hoping he'd learn something from them. Her partner would look at the tiny handwriting and narrow his eyes, saying:  
"Oh, _nice_." Where after he would continue messing with the Galbana's engines and gauges. This would result in a _nice_ smack on the head and some playful yelling.

Nobody really knew what was going on in the castle anymore. Ever since requesting audiences has become impossible, news coming from the Royal Family had been little. The new spokesman of queen Ashelia had announced her being incapable of receiving guests anymore, because of the large amounts of work she had to do. Feeling sympathy for their queen, the people of Dalmasca learned to accept his fact. Good thing she was married now, she didn't have to do it all on her own anymore.  
Not all of them were so considerate. Over time, more and more people came with complaints directed at Ashe. They would come together in the Sandsea and debate about the truthfulness of the Royal Family. Whenever a guard entered the tavern, it would fall silent immediately.

The tavern wasn't the only place silent. Ever since Ashe got engaged the requests to be escorted had stopped completely. Even the usual trips through Dalmasca she used to take were history. This worried Penelo, much to Vaan's surprise. They both assumed she was too busy, even for her own kingdom.

The atmosphere in Rabanastre was tensed. Nobody knew who they could trust anymore, since many people had turned on the queen in the past months. One word to the wrong person and you'd be thrown in the dungeons.  
A spark of hope seemed to light the sky when Ashe showed up at the towns square to take a stroll and talk to some people. The words she said were small and it seemed like talking hurt, but the two scary-looking guards escorting her kept most people at a safe distance so she didn't have to talk much.

***

The rains on Giza had begun and thus time for the council to present their plans for the next year. The people had expected them to favor the kingdom and they did, but in a most unexpected way.

War.

Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca Margrace had declared war to the kingdom of Nabradia. Motive: Expanding the kingdom of Dalmasca and with that the Empire of Rozarria. Together with king Devont Remis Margrace she stood before the people, reading from a scroll in a monotonous voice. The people of Dalmasca were dumbfounded, Vaan and Penelo no less. They had been present during the declaration, looking at the queen as if they saw water burning. Ashe, the one who would sacrifice her own _life_ for peace, declaring war to _Nabradia_? This was really all the young sky pirates could take. They rushed back to their airship where they discussed the matter immediately.

"I can't BELIEVE this!" Penelo shouted, slamming her fist unto the controls of the Galbana.  
"_Easy_ on my airship please, it's not her fault." Vaan said, sighing.  
"I know, I just.."  
"I can't believe it either. This isn't like Ashe at all. What could have gotten into her?"  
"I don't know.." Penelo said. "She didn't act like this before.. I wonder why she's doing this." She gazed outside, it was dusk already.  
"Only one way to find out." Vaan said, suddenly sounding strangely serious. His partner looked up at him in question.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Where going to see her. Right now." He answered, grabbing his coat.  
"But she's not taking audiences anymore." The blond replied.  
"Who said anything about an audience?" He pulled on his coat and ran hand through his hair. "I said we're going to see her. She owes us an explanation."  
"So you're going to..break in?"  
"Wouldn't be the first time." He said. "Are you coming or not?"  
After a few seconds of thinking, she nodded.  
"I'm your partner after all. Besides, I also want to know what she has to say for herself."  
"Then it's settled. Get ready, we'd best go prepared."  
"Do you have any idea how much you sound like Balthier right now?" She asked, while walking to her room. Vaan frowned. When she closed the door, he could hear her giggles coming through it.  
"That's not funny!"

***

They travelled through the sewers and Penelo didn't complain. In fact, she was actually quite impressed with the way Vaan moved through the narrow, humid place. Must be because this was his second time.  
"Are we there yet?" She couldn't hold the question back any longer.  
"Almost." Vaan answered. He could already see the set of stairs leading to the castle. "This way."  
The blond girl followed obediently.

A few minutes later, they were standing in one of the treasure rooms the Dalmascan castle held. Vaan smiled when he saw a certain statue still activated, presenting a treasure that wasn't there anymore. This was the room where he had first met Balthier and Fran, it felt nostalgic to be back after so long.  
"Where are we going next?" Penelo whispered, letting her eyes feast on all the riches of the Royal Family. It was so tempting to take some, but they were not here to steal from their own queen.  
"Outside, two times right, up the stairs, first room left, through the hallway, left again. If we go straight ahead from there, we'll end up just below Ashe's room." He made his way through the many treasures to the exit. "You coming?"  
His partner just nodded as if she had understood everything he just said perfectly and followed. Walking on tiptoes, both young pirates had to be _very_ careful not to get caught. Anyone spotting them here would instantly come to the conclusion that they were stealing and Vaan wasn't up for a one-way ticket to Nalbina Dungeons, thank you very much.

Following Vaan blindly, Penelo tried to keep track of all the turns her partner had announced earlier. If she was doing things right, they were at the 'through the hallway' point now. When the wheat blond turned left his partner did a silent victory dance, noticing she had been right.  
"We just need to go straight from here."  
"Do you know what you're going to say when you see her?" Penelo questioned, making Vaan look confused. To be honest, he hadn't really thought about that. "I hope that she'll be the one talking." He admitted, making his partner shrug softly.  
Moving through the hallway being as silent as possible, they had reached the final set of stairs. Things seemed to go very smoothly and both young pirates were quite proud of their stealth skills. Vaan was just about to give the door a soft knock, when he heard the sound of someone walking in heavy armor, slowly coming closer.  
Penelo gasped in shock and felt her heartbeat speed up. The wheat blond took her by the hand and pulled her with him behind the wall, where they hid in the shadows. The one in armor came closer and closer and Penelo did everything she could to calm her breathing but it didn't work. When he noticed they were making too much noise to go by unnoticed, Vaan started to panic.  
"Shh!" He whispered, knowing he was being too loud as well.  
"I'm trying!" She replied, but nothing seemed to work.  
Both sky pirates felt adrenaline rushing through their bodies, their heartbeat making more noise than their heavy breathing. The footsteps came closer still, when they finally halted. It seemed as if he didn't notice the two young ones hiding just a mere three meters away from him. He knocked on the queen's door softly and waited patiently for her to open.

She opened it a few seconds later and eyed the guard.  
"What is it." She asked, failing to make her words sound like a question.  
"I'm here to guard for the remainder of the night." The man in armor replied. Ashe sighed.  
"This will not be necessary. You can guard me from the end of the hallway as well. I wish for you not to disturb me anymore." The man nodded and Ashelia closed the door, where after the guard left the hallway to find his colleagues and tell them the queen's orders.

Vaan carefully took a peek around the corner to see if the man had gone. When he was certain he had, he allowed himself to breath again. Penelo, seeing relief in her partner's eyes, did the same. The young sky pirate silently walked up to the door and gave it a soft knock. Again tension rose in the hearts of the boy and his partner, but this time it was a different kind of tension. How would Ashe react?  
The door opened not soon after.  
"I thought I had told you that I did not want to be dis-" Ashe's eyes widened when she saw who her visitors were. Penelo waved and smiled, where Vaan winked.  
"Hi Ashe. We wanted to see how you're doing, but since you're not accepting visitors anymore, we thought we'd let ourselves in."  
The queen, in shock of the guts her friends had, narrowed her eyes.  
"So you choose to break in to the Royal Castle, just to speak to me?"  
"We were worried..you've not been yourself lately.." Penelo said softly, not really wanting to admit that she was worried about the former princess. The said princess raised her voice.  
"Whether I am myself or not is not for you to decide!" She claimed.  
"Shh! Not so loud! Do you want us to get caught?" Vaan warned her.  
"No. In fact, I will catch you myself. Guards!"  
Vaan's eyes widened as Penelo eyed him in fear. Was Ashe really calling the guards on them? The sounds of metal and rushed footsteps left no room for doubt, but both the pirates were too shocked to run. They wanted to run, but they simply couldn't. When the guards came closer, they didn't even struggle when they caught them and bound their wrists together.  
"Your orders, my queen." One of them spoke. Ashe eyed Vaan with a look he couldn't really place. It wasn't the cold look he had been expecting, it was a..plea for help?  
"They will be sent to Nalbina, right now. I shall travel with you." The guard protested.  
"With all due respect, you ought not to leave the castle."  
Ashe eyed the guard warningly.  
"_I said_, I shall travel with you. We leave this instant."  
The guard nodded, leading the two still not struggling pirates to an airship, to fly them to Nalbina. Penelo was in a maze of emotions while Vaan tried to get things straight in his mind. They went to see Ashe and now they are being taken to Nalbina in the middle of the night. He was afraid to think it couldn't get any worse though, his life had learned him things could _always_ get worse.

It did, when Vaan recognized Devont as he came closer to them. He was still in formal wear and looked at his wife in question.  
"What is this?" He asked. She didn't break eye contact with him.  
"They broke into the palace with the means to steal. I shall go with them to ensure their punishment." Her husband frowned.  
"Are you sure you want to go with them?"  
She nodded. He eyed her with warning, but gave in.  
"Fine. I will leave you to do as you wish. Be careful though, it would be terrible if something were to happen to you." He moved closer and leant in to kiss Ashe on her lips. She didn't back away, but she didn't close her eyes either. Vaan and Penelo watched as one of the queen's hands formed into a fist and looked at each other in question. That didn't really look like a display of true love now, did it. He seemed to be whispering something against her lips, but it was so soft that she was the only one able to hear. She nodded and when he turned away, she turned to the guards again.  
"Let us make our leave with haste, I want to return before dawn."

***

"Fran?" His soft voice woke her.  
The Viera faced her partner. Whatever it was he wanted in the middle of the night, he'd better get it over with quickly.  
"Yes?"  
Balthier eyed her awkwardly, then shook his head and sighed.  
"No, it's nothing."  
The silver-haired beauty would have none of this and frowned at him, forcing him to elucidate. The brunet sky pirate couldn't ignore her piercing stare for long and gave in.  
"I'm worried."  
"About your apprentice?"  
"You should know that I don't take apprentices."  
"Most would state otherwise."  
"Most doesn't interest me." He replied, inspecting the order of his colorful rings. "It's just.." A small silence fell and the Viera sighed.  
"War always brings worries. They will be fine." She said calmly. Balthier, blinked and realized that he had just acted very unlike a leading man.  
"Of course!" He exclaimed in an attempt to restore his dignity. "They learned from the best."  
"I thought you did not take apprentices?"  
Too stubborn to answer her question, he simply closed his eyes again. Fran smiled unseen and followed his example, soon falling back asleep.

***

"Why are you doing this?" Vaan asked the queen, sounding hurt. She had changed, yes, but the young pirate didn't think she would betray them like that. After all that they have been through together, they were friends, right?  
"I could ask you the same question. Why did you come to the castle? You can not expect me to believe it was just to speak to me."  
"But it was!" The wheat blond replied, squirming a little against the chains that held his hands. Him and Penelo were being led by four guards until they reached the pit. Penelo peered down and shivered; all prisoners were thrown down here. There was a stairway, but using that to guide prisoners inside was too risky, especially when it's dark outside.  
"Can we, your Majesty?" One of the guards asked, pushing Penelo closer to the well-like hole. Ashe eyed her for a second but the blond girl avoided her look.  
"He's using you, isn't he?" The sudden voice of Vaan sounded and his partner looked up in question. The queen's eyes widened and her mouth fell open only to close again.  
"Isn't he?" He asked again, this time a little louder. "You don't love him, do you?"  
"Of.. of course I love him." Ashe said, a little softer than usual.  
"You're too proud to lie convincingly." Vaan said with a confronting tone.

Ashelia faced away from him and dropped the tone of her voice to a cold, low sound.  
"Throw them in." She said, almost in a whisper. The guard holding Penelo nodded and forced her closer to the pit, her feet leaving long traces in the sand.  
"In you go." The guard said, pushing Penelo inside. The long fall she made without voicing a single scream of fear, but when she hit the ground a soft cry was heard.  
"PENELO!" Vaan shouted, looking down at the small dot that was his partner. He looked at Ashe, eyeing her until the very moment he got thrown in himself. He too hit the ground face first and quite painfully, but he refused to show it. Getting up quickly, he brought his hands to his mouth and shouted in direction of the queen.  
"You should have come to us! We would have protected you!" Ashelia looked down on him from above the ground.  
"I am not the one needing protection." With these words, she nodded at the guards and left.  
Penelo, still feeling dizzy from the blow she took, leant against the wall and slid down to the ground, slowly closing her eyes. She faintly heard Vaan scream.  
"Ashe! Get back here! ASHE!!!"

_Dear diary, ..._

_...It's the princess her birthday today. I brought flowers to the castle, but they sent me away. I left them in front of the gates, maybe she will find them later._

_...Tonight Mom took me for a walk through Rabanastre. She told me that the castle had been lived in by many different families, some from different countries, ruling over Dalmasca. I'm not worried though, the princess is in the castle now. She will make things right._

_...I saw the princess today on her balcony. It was dusk out and I just finished doing my final errand of the day. I walked back home I looked up at the castle like I always do, and there she was. I think she was enjoying the weather as much as I was. I wanted to wave, but I don't think she is allowed to wave at strangers._

_...Vaan was in a bad mood today, he kept talking on and on about leaving Dalmasca in an airship and escaping from everything. I think the princess must feel like escaping sometimes too. Still she is very responsible, she won't run away from her duty. Vaan should be like that too._

_...Today the princess held a speech at the memorial for the people who have died of the plague. She looked really sad, but strong all the same. She managed to give us hope and motivation to fight in the upcoming war. If only I could be that strong._

_...I'm so happy! The princess is getting married! He seems to be a wonderful man, but he will have to be in order to match our princess. They are a beautiful couple, the smiles they give each other, it's so real. His name is lord Rasler. The wedding will be in two weeks, I can hardly wait. _

_...I asked my parents if I could go to the wedding, and they said yes! They are not letting me go alone though, so I will have to ask Vaan to come with me._

_...I told Vaan I wanted to get the princess something to show her our support, but he said she wouldn't be allowed to accept it anyway. It must be terrible to live in a golden cage all the time. Hopefully lord Rasler can make it easier for her._

_...The Royal Wedding took place today. Vaan and I watched the fanfare lead the carriage to the church. It was so beautiful. The princess looked like an angel and lord Rasler was her knight in shining armor. We weren't allowed to go inside the church, but I am very happy to have caught a glimpse of them._

_...My parents keep lowering the amount of chores I need to do. They also wants me to come back home much earlier than usual, so I can't take my night strolls anymore. When I ask about it, they say that I am only sixteen, and that it's dangerous out. I don't understand, I have been fine all the time, right?_

_...It's scary to be outside, now that the king has left to sign the treaty for peace. People fear that it's a trap and that he will be killed. I'm afraid for Ashe, she must be scared to lose her father._

_...It's war, the Archadian fleet has attacked Nabradia, lord Rasler's homeland. My parents are going to the front to fight for our prince, so is Vaan's brother, Reks. Lord Rasler is also going to fight, I will never forget the worried look on Ashelia's face when he entered the army. Still, she is strong. If it weren't for her, I would have left Dalmasca together with Vaan, but I can't do that. Dalmasca has sacrificed a lot for me, so I will sacrifice for Dalmasca. I'm sure the princess would have done the same. Sacrificing all to protect the thing you most want to protect. I guess that's what they call love._

_...I'm not in the mood to write. There's nothing left. I feel so empty inside. The princess, couldn't bear with the loss of her husband and took her own life. Now the only ones I have left are Migelo and Vaan. I feel like the royal family has betrayed me. Wasn't she supposed to give us hope? Wasn't she supposed to make it better? How could she give up when we needed her most? Why did she.._

"Damn Ashe, why.." Vaan said softly, slamming his fist against the wall once more though they had lost their strength. He turned to face Penelo, who seemed to have regained consciousness and was looking down at the sand floor.  
"Are you ok?" He asked, coming over to sit beside her.  
"I'm fine.." She sighed, understanding she shouldn't let things from the past bother her so much. "..my ankle hurts a bit, but a few healing spells will do the trick." Vaan nodded.  
"You're bleeding." She suddenly noticed, pointing at Vaan's chest. A large cut around his left collarbone was bleeding terribly, the sand in his wound mixing with the red fluid. The wheat blond hadn't even noticed his injury and looked at it.  
"Oh."  
Soft whispers triggered a white, healing light covering the crimson skin as the wound started to heal slowly. It was too deep for Penelo to cure completely, but it would at least stem the bleeding.  
They sat together in the dungeon, both silent, while the blond girl healed their wounds as good as she could. Without any words being spoken, they leant on each other seeking warmth and support, eventually falling asleep on the cold, rough surface of Nalbina Dungeons.

_...When I had found out the princess was still alive, I didn't really know what to think. I was happy to see the one I had admired all my life standing before me, but also sad to see that same person consumed by hatred and desire for revenge. I couldn't understand how someone so strong and responsible had turned into someone so weak and shallow, like a puppet on the strings of her own emotions. It just hurt to watch her, so I didn't. She managed to get herself back together in time, but the damage had been long done in my eyes. It was over._

_***_

Soft, gentle hands caressed her hair and she lay her head to rest on his chest.  
"How are you feeling, darling?" He asked, tucking some locks of pale brown hair behind her ears.  
"I am fine." She said softly, not looking up to meet his eyes.  
"I have to admit, you are behaving better than I gave you credit for." He bent down a little and kissed her hair. "What happened to those thieves? Weren't they present at the banquet?" Ashe nodded and Devont sighed, stroking her arm. "Sad to hear your friends turned on you."  
She looked away, not wanting to reply.  
"You're worried about the war, aren't you?" He asked.  
"I do not favor war." Ashelia whispered.  
"I know." Her husband said. "Nabradia will be given the chance to surrender. If they have half the brains you have, they will know what to do and no victims will fall."  
"But what if they do not?"  
"Shh.. It's going to be fine. You need both love _and_ war to be victorious in life." He shifted a bit, laying her down on the mattress. He leant in to kiss her gently, Ashe closed her eyes. She felt disgusting and weak, but above all, guilty. If she hadn't travelled with Vaan and Penelo, Gods know what the guards would have done to them. She hoped she had done the right thing. Opening her eyes, she watched her husband as he descended down to her neck.

There was no other way.

***

Morning arrived, but the only way Vaan could notice was by the small stream of light shining through the hole they were thrown last night. He looked down to find Penelo sleeping in his arms, breathing in ragged, soft breaths. The wheat blond sighed and gently touched her cheek.  
"Hey, wake up." After a short moment, the girl slowly opened her bright blue eyes and looked around. Vaan gently pushed her off him and got up, reaching out to help her up after. She took his hand and he brought her to stand.  
"We need to find a way out of here. When me, Balthier and Fran got thrown in here, Fran said something about the Mist flowing in direction of the exit."  
Penelo, although just awoken, could follow what he was saying; she just didn't understand it.  
"But.. we can't sense the Mist."  
"I know.." Vaan said, trying to remember the directions he, Fran and Balthier had walked in when they escaped from Nalbina Dungeons, early in their adventure. This place held a lot of memories for him, since this is where he got to know his now very close friends a little better. Here was where he decided that one day, he was going to be _exactly_ like the legend sky pirate. Even better.

Remembering there was no time for sentiment and nostalgia, Vaan took Penelo's hand and lead her out. There was one room he _could_ recall: the prison repository of wrested relics and raiments. Well, that's how Balthier liked to call it; in reality it was just the storage room for all the things the prisoners had on them when they got here. Vaan figured they might find some weapons there, to force their way out if necessary. Increasing there pace, they walked through the dirty sweltering dungeons.

***

_'My dearest lady Ashe,  
it has been too long since we last met. I would like to invite you to Eruyt village, to have a little chat. There are many things we need to discuss.  
-D'_

_The queen made a face as if the paper she held was cursed and gave it back to the silent maid.  
"Tell him that I have nothing to discuss with him." She said coldly. The maid nodded and grabbed another piece of paper, handing it to the former princess, who frowned at it. When the maid didn't turn away, she took the paper from her and read it.__'It would be in both our interests if you were to be present. The news of your absence would set the wood on fire, if you know what I mean.  
-D'_

"_Damn him." Ashe whispered, giving the paper back to the maid who nodded and left._

_Talking Vaan into escorting her to Eruyt Village wasn't so hard as she had expected. He and Penelo even let her be once they arrived, going on a monster hunt in the Wood. This gave the queen all the privacy she needed when looking for the man who wrote to her. He appeared a few moments later, hiding in the shadow of a large tree, motioning her to come over. She obeyed reluctantly and kept her distance while standing beside him. He smiled._

"_My lady. How have you been?"  
"What is it you want." She replied coldly. He eyed her with interest.  
"I have news you will want to hear." He started, holding his hand our to her. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"  
"I will not ask again." The queen said, staying put.  
"Such fiery eyes, where does all that hatred come from?" Ashe didn't answer and avoided his eyes.  
"Inside, you never really dealt with it, did you? The pain of losing all you hold dear? It hurts, doesn't it?"  
"My matters are mine alone."  
"Only imagine, were that terrible history to repeat itself." The queen looked at him, suggesting him to explain himself. He smiled at her and grabbed something out of his pocket. It was a stone shard, glowing with a sharp light. Ashe's eyes widened and she gasped.  
"Nethicite.." She whispered, not able to believe it was still in existence. After the almost-war three years ago, they had destroyed the source of the metal to avoid someone misusing it again. Yet before her, in his hands, lay a shard of nethicite, glowing to show it still had all of it's destructive power. Devont smiled and reached his hand out to her.  
"Now, will you go for a walk with me?"_

***

Nalbina Dungeons hadn't exactly improved it's environment since the last time Vaan was there. He recognized some prisoners, fighting over the small bit of clean water. Penelo kept looking around, she was very nervous and a bit scared too. No reason not to be, the wheat blond remembered the first time he saw a corpse lying somewhere. Lucky for him, he didn't have to spend much time in the dungeon since Fran was very quick to find an exit; Vaan really hoped he could do the same.

When the pair of young sky pirates reached a set of stairs, Penelo looked down in doubt.  
"I _think_ that's where they throw the junk.." She said carefully.  
"I think you're right." Vaan replied. He wanted to make a turn and head back, but his feet slipped on _something _Penelo couldn't really define. The wheat blond shrieked and bounced down the stairs and his partner couldn't help but smile, her first smile since they had been thrown into the dungeon.  
The stairs were long and the blond girl couldn't see her partner from where she was standing. She wanted to walk down a few steps when a soft, warm hand gently grabbed her wrist. Penelo turned around, readying a scream when she recognized the one holding her and smiled with major relief.

Vaan grunted, it's _always_ him falling. He wanted to rest his hand somewhere so he could get up, but looking around all he saw was icky, slimy junk-stuff and the remains of something that looked like it was supposed to be a rat. Making a disgusted face, he decided to stay down for a minute until his legs had regained enough strength for him to get up on his own.

"And_ he_ had talks about your double heels, Fran."Suddenly, a tanned hand reached out to him. Following the arm it was attached to, grey eyes met brown.  
"Balthier?" He asked with disbelief. He either hit his head _real_ hard, or _someone_ had told the older sky pirate of him and Penelo being captured. The said sky pirate shot him a playful grin.  
"Don't look so surprised." He looked at his hand, still reaching out for Vaan's. "Are you going to join us or would you like to enjoy the scenery a bit more?"  
Vaan grinned and took his hand, allowing Balthier to pull him back up to both feet. The two walked up the stairs to find Penelo and Fran, talking softly. That's when Vaan remembered:  
"Devont!" Balthier frowned at his sudden exclamation. "He's using Ashe, we have to stop him before the war starts!"  
Both Fran and her partner exchanged looks, where after they turned their gazes to the ground.  
"What's wrong?" The wheat blond asked.  
"The war has already started. It is too late for precautions." The Viera spoke with a sad tone of voice. Penelo saw Vaan's hands forming into fists. Suddenly, footsteps were heard. They sounded like three men in heavy armor and they were moving closer. Balthier turned to look at Vaan again.  
"However, it's not too late to get out of here, so let's move while we still can."  
"But-" The younger one tried to protest, but the brunet silenced him.  
"We'd be in a much better state to come up with a solution if we're _not_ being executed Vaan, trust me."  
A sigh of defeat spilled from the boy's lips, as Penelo and him followed the older sky pirate and his partner to the exit. The two young partners eyed each other, the girl with a smile and Vaan with a shrug. He didn't know what had brought their friends here, but he was _really_ happy they were. Things were going to be alright now. Together, they could do anything.

As expected, Fran could sense the Mist and had brought the group to an exit in about half an hour. The escape went smoothly and none of the guards seemed to be on their trail. For a minute Vaan thought it was going _too_ easy, but when he thought about the situation it made more sense. War had started, so most of the guards would have gone to fight instead of staying here in the dungeons. This made the escape of the four sky pirates a lot easier than the escape Vaan, Balthier and Fran had to make three years ago.  
Finally being able to breath in fresh air again, Penelo was almost on the edge of hyperventilating; only to cleanse her lungs of the filthy air hanging in the dungeons. The place they had ended up was the Estersand, a desert located between Nalbina and Dalmasca. Balthier and Fran headed into the desert a little further when the brunet grabbed a small remote and pressed an even smaller button. The Strahl became visible and Vaan felt like a little kid in Disney Land, his mind screaming: 'We're going to ride the Strahl! We're going to ride the Strahl!'. His admiration of the beautiful airship wasn't new, but Balthier still found it nice to see. Probably, because it provoked his pride towards the ship, being her captain.

Once aboard, the four decided it would be best to avoid Dalmasca for now. The kingdom was at war and the sky pirates weren't really up for all the tension and stress coming from the normally so vibrant city. They stayed inside the airship, Fran readying the guest room for Vaan and Penelo to spend the night. Balthier was still with the controls, checking some things. Vaan walked up to him and sat beside him on Fran's chair.  
"Say Balthier.."  
"Hmm?" He said absently.  
"How did you know where we were?"  
"I got a letter saying I'd want to check the dungeons."  
"A letter? From who?"  
"Haven't got the slightest idea. Does it matter?" He eyed the wheat blond.  
"I guess not."  
"Good answer." A smirk. "It's been a tiring day for all of us so you'd better get to bed. We'll think about Devont and the princess tomorrow."  
Vaan nodded, strange as these words might sound coming from Balthier, he was right. Vaan hadn't slept for almost two whole days and it was getting the better of him. Right before he left he turned to the brunet once more.  
"Say Balthier.."  
"Yes?"  
Vaan took a moment to think.  
"It's not like you to just fly wherever a letter tells you to." Balthier spun around in his chair to face his younger friend and smiled.  
"Let's just say I had a reliable source. Good night Vaan."  
"Yeah..good night."  
When Vaan left, Balthier sighed. The kid knew him better than he gave him credit for. Leaning back in his chair a bit, he took a small piece of paper from his pocket.

_'Something more valuable, they are waiting at Nalbina.  
~Amalia'_

***

_After Eruyt came Bhujerba, after Bhujerba came Jahara and after Jahara came the Phon Coast; Devont kept asking more and more gil with every 'date' the two of them made. At Mt. Bur-Omisace, he even got violent towards her. Still, she couldn't refuse to pay him; if he were to use the nethicite, he could destroy the better half of the world, killing thousands of innocent people._

_The queen sat behind her desk, looking at the small envelope before her. A maid had given it to her this morning and it had the Margrace seal on it. Ashelia was afraid of opening it, not wanting to know where he wanted her to go next and how much she had to pay. Still, if she didn't respond to his letters in three days he would use the nethicite anyway, so she opened the letter carefully. While the queen was trying to make out the words, a man entered her room. Ashe looked up to meet Devont's dark blue stare._

"_Devont.." She said, surprised he was here.  
"My lady, are you glad to see me?" He smiled at her.  
"How much do you want this time?" She asked coldly. He kept smiling and took a few steps closer, making the queen take a few steps back.  
"Gil doesn't satisfy me anymore. I realized; why settle for money, when I can have a kingdom?"  
"What are you talking about?" Ashe said, confused.  
"I'm talking about you. I want you to marry me." He grabbed a ring from his pocket and threw it at her. The metal hit her shoulder and dropped to the ground where it lay sparkling in the sunlight. She looked at it, not able to believe this was happening. She couldn't, he couldn't. Her hands found their way to the two rings around her fingers. Hers and the one of her late husband. Devont noticed them.  
"Oh, come on, he has been dead for over three years now, it's about time you got remarried. If not, I could always just.." His eyes suggested destruction and the queen let her head drop. He smiled.  
"Of course, if you want to sacrifice Dalmasca for the sake of your dead husband-"  
"No!" She interrupted, facing the man before her with fire in her eyes. "I'll do it."  
"Care to repeat that, my lady?" She didn't look away from his gaze, trying to appear proud when her heart was breaking inside.  
"I'll.. I'll marry you."  
"That's what I came here to hear. Good to know you still care for your people. I'll have the arrangements ready in no time, oh! We have to celebrate!"  
Ashe faced away from him and looked out the window, fighting back her tears with all the strength she had. He came a little closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.  
"Darling, don't be sad. You'll learn to love, you'll be happy, I promise. Dalmasca will rise higher than any kingdom has ever risen before."She slapped his hand away.  
"Get out." Ashe said in a whisper. When he didn't move she repeated herself. "Get out!"  
With a smile, Devont bowed before the queen and left the room, his eyes never leaving her powerless figure. Finally._

_After that, came a life of silence, hurt and shame. Every public event Ashe had to attend to, her husband silenced her beforehand and would do all the talking, together with their new spokesman. Being silenced on such a regular base made Ashelia incapable of talking, even when Devont lifted the spell at the end of the day. Her throat hurt so much it had become hard to breath and when she did speak, her voice sounded ragged and broken. Devont had took her heart, pride, love and left nothing but silence in return. A cold, lonely silence, consuming her soul with every passing day.  
There was no other way._

_***_"They fell asleep the moment their heads hit the bed." Fran said while walking up to sit next to Balthier, highly amused.  
"They're young and tired, what did you expect." He replied, sighing.  
"You are still worried." The Viera noticed. He eyed her.  
"He's badly wounded."  
She nodded.  
"It will take some time for it to heal properly."  
He sighed again.  
"I know I know. He'll be fine. It just don't want him bleeding on my airship."  
Fran frowned at him, the older sky pirate frowned back.  
"What?" He asked. She faced away from him and wiped some sand off the controls. It seemed that no matter where Vaan went, he always left a trail of sand.  
"Nothing," She answered, getting up from her chair and heading to her own room. "sleep well."  
"You too." Balthier let himself sink a little deeper in his chair.

In his life as a sky pirate, he had seen many things he had rather not seen. Sadness, hurt, death. Torture, pain, dishonesty, betrayal. Corpses couldn't scare him anymore, tears barely reached his heart. But blood. For some reason, he couldn't stand seeing the crimson fluid running freely on skin. It made something inside him twitch and it hurt. He would never admit being scared of it, though he knew he was. Fran knew he was, but Fran knows everything. Travelling further onto that trail of thought, Balthier closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

***

As usual, Penelo woke up first. It took her a second to realize where she was and what had happened; and when she did realize it, it took her a second to believe it. Glancing over to the side, she found Vaan to be sleeping still, his breath soft and even. Almost feeling sorry for what she was about to do, Penelo got up and gently pulled the covers from her childhood friend. He shivered in the cold and blindly grabbed around him to find the blankets taken from him. When his hands found nothing but air, he opened his eyes, grunting when he saw his partner smile at him.

A soft knock on the door prevented Vaan from throwing a pillow at the blond (his aim would have been off anyway) and both partners looked up to see Fran in the doorframe.  
"Good morning Fran, is Balthier awake yet?" Penelo asked, throwing the blanket back to Vaan who caught it and held it close, pouting. The Viera nodded.  
"Strange as this may sound, he is. We have to discuss what to do about this situation."  
"Right. We'll be with you in a minute." Vaan replied, making both Fran and Penelo look up in surprise. Vaan, talking clear and understandable even though he had just woken up; it showed just how serious he seemed to be about this matter. Fran nodded again and left the two young pirates to get ready.

"Morning."  
Again an air of surprise filled the room, when _Balthier_ talked clear and understandable. Deciding not to pay too much attention to it, both Vaan and Penelo sat down beside the two older pirates.  
"So..what's the plan?" The wheat blond asked, looking at the brunet in question. He frowned.  
"Do I have to do everything around here?"  
"If you don't want to, don't act like you'd do it best."  
"If you have a problem with me, why don't you just leave."  
"Thanks for the idea."  
"My pleasure."  
Balthier turned away from the younger boy and stared out of the window like something very interesting was going on behind it. Vaan spun around and marched out of the room with big steps, slamming the door on his way back to the guest room. Penelo looked at Fran and blinked.  
"What..in the world just happened.." She asked, no one in particular. The Viera let out a sigh, men could be _so_ childish. Both of them were very worried, but way too proud to show it to the other.  
"This does not help us." The silver-haired woman said to her partner.  
"Do I look like I care?" Balthier answered with a bitter tone.  
"You do, so talk to the boy."  
"I'm not in the mood for talking."  
"Do as you wish, but I am not flying until the war inside this ship is over. There is enough war _outside_,for both of you."  
Balthier let out a frustrated sigh and threw his hands in the air.  
"Fine! I'll talk!" He got up and reluctantly headed over to Vaan, turning to Fran when he reached the door. "This'd better make you happy."

A knock.  
"Go. Away."  
"Acting like a stubborn teen now, are we Vaan?"  
"Shut up."  
"Just let me in." Balthier sighed, why was he doing this again? Some shuffling sounds were heard and the door opened slightly. The brunet pushed the door open and let himself inside the small room. Vaan was by the window, looking outside, refusing to eye his friend. Balthier shook his head.  
"You know I usually do things best.." He started, trying to make himself sound playful.  
"I'm not seventeen anymore." The wheat blond replied, a short silence followed.  
"I know." He almost sounded sad when he said this and looked at his feet. "I won't deny you've learned a lot."  
"You won't admit it either."  
"Do I have to?"  
"It would be nice." Again a silence followed.  
"How did you end up in Nalbina anyway?"  
"Ashe threw us in." Balthier looked up. _Ooh, _so _that's_ why. Vaan pushed himself away from the window and walked past him. "Honestly, I'm happy you were there to help us out, but things could have ended a lot worse. Penelo was seriously hurt. I just can't believe.."  
"Everything has a reason Vaan. Do you trust the princess?"  
"I did."

"Then don't lose that trust and give her a chance to explain."  
"How am I supposed to do that?" Vaan's voice sounded desperate. "Last time I wanted to give her a chance to explain she threw us in the dungeons!"  
"Well go and try again, Gods, since when do you give up so easily?" The annoyed tone of Balthier's voice got the boys attention and he eyed his friend, who was heading back to Fran and Penelo.  
"Everyone gets burned Vaan. But I'll save you from the fire if I have to, so don't be afraid to keep trying."  
There were these rare moments in life, where Balthier managed to render Vaan speechless.  
This was one of them.

***

Vaan stayed in the guest room until noon and no matter how many times Penelo asked him, Balthier didn't want to tell what the two of them had talked about earlier. When the wheat blond finally came out, he came out with a plan: revisiting the queen, the four of them this time. While he explained, Fran eyed Balthier, who threw her a look saying: 'I had nothing do to with this'. She knew better.

They would leave that same day, as soon as it got dark outside. Balthier refused to go through the sewers, so they would have to climb their way up to Ashe's balcony. Hadn't it been for Dalmasca's creative architecture, this would have been a mission impossible. They went back to Dalmasca in the Strahl, landing just before the East Gate. The rest of the trip they travelled by foot, to attract as little attention as possible. Vaan was very nervous and Penelo had to admit, she was nervous too. Their first visit to Ashelia didn't really turn out the way they had expected and she could well remember the fear rushing through her body when she was thrown down the pit. Still, she didn't want this fear to stand in the way of their goal: finding out what was going on behind those castle walls. Vaan had managed to climb his way up to the first floor balcony and reached out to help the blond get there too. Swallowing her last bit of fright away, the girl took his hand and followed her childhood friend; wherever he may lead her.

***

"The enemy troops are decimating, this war shall soon be over." Devont said softly, running his hand through Ashe's hair.  
"I am glad." She closed her eyes in pain, speaking hurt.  
"I have a meeting to attend to this night darling, will you be ok on your own?" The queen nodded. Her husband got ready to cast another silence spell on her, but Ashelia shook her head violently and whispered:  
"Please, not tonight. I can barely speak as it is now."  
Devont cancelled his spell and looked his wife up and down, seeing she was speaking the truth.  
"Alright then." She eyed him with a look of gratitude and watched him leave the room. Just when Ashe was about to get ready to sleep, she heard a soft knock on her window. Surprised and a bit scared, she walked over to the window and pulled away the curtains. Behind the glass stood Balthier, smiling and waving. When the queen opened the window, he hopped inside the room.  
"Evening, princess."  
"Please leave." She managed to choke out.  
"We're not leaving." Vaan's voice came through, as he hopped into the room too."Not this time."  
"Please," She repeated and both men could see it was hurting her. "I do not want to hurt you again."  
"Then come with us," Penelo said, as she got inside, Fran following suit. "let us help you."  
"I.."

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Ashe's eyes widened in fear and she tried to push Balthier back to the window but he didn't budge.  
"Didn't you hear him princess?" He said, placing his hands over hers and putting them to her sides. She shot him a frightened look and he smiled. "We're not leaving."  
The door slammed open and Devont appeared in the frame. Upon seeing the room crowded, his eyes started to burn.  
"I leave you to speak and _this_ is the thanks I get?" He said, raising his voice in anger. He moved to Ashe and lifted his hand to hit her but Balthier grabbed his wrist and shook his head in disapproval.  
"Hitting a lady, how weak."  
"Don't you DARE say I'm weak!" Devont shouted, throwing Balthier against the wall.  
"Balthier!" Penelo shrieked, her earlier confidence rendered to zero. The older pirate came upright and grunted.  
"Guards!" The black-clad man yelled, when he suddenly felt cool metal on his throat. He turned to find Vaan holding a blade dangerously close to his skin.  
"What did you do to her." He said. "Tell me, what did you do!"  
"Vaan, we have no time! Leave him be for now, we have to move!" Balthier said, hearing voices and more footsteps coming closer every second. Fran tapped Penelo on the shoulder and nodded. Not wasting anymore time they ran past Devont heading for the nearest exit.  
"We'll get to him later, come on get moving!" Vaan lowered his dagger reluctantly and grabbed Ashe's hand, dragging her with him as he followed the older pirate out of the room. Devont gave chase, whispering words.  
"Please, Vaan, do not do this!" Ashelia managed to say, cringing at the pain it caused her. "He has nethicite!"  
"What?!"  
"He has-"  
"SILENCE!" A dark, purple light caught up with the kidnapped queen and sank into the skin of her throat. She pulled back in pain, her hand slipping from Vaan's. Ashe fell to the ground, but motioned the young pirate to keep running.  
"No! I'm not leaving you with him!" He shouted, reaching out for her. The others noticed Vaan had fallen behind and turned to find him kneeling beside Ashe. Devont got closer every second and the guards were advancing from the other side. Penelo didn't think twice and ran towards Vaan, pulling him away from Ashe.  
"Penelo!" He protested.  
"They won't kill her, they _will_ kill you!" She yelled, eying him with anger. Blinking, Vaan let his partner drag him along before he started running on his own. His sight got blurred by tears forming in his eyes and he saw colors dancing before his eyes. His legs were moving on their own and noise was coming closer and closer, louder and louder till he could hear a gun being fired.

Through all the different sounds he could hear Penelo scream and armor clash. He felt his back hit the ground but he didn't feel pain. He recognized the smell of aftershave when two arms lifted him off the ground. He heard Fran speak but he couldn't understand the words. A sudden turn was made and all was silent for what seemed like eternity. Eternity came to an end when he felt his body being laid down on a stone, humid surface. A sudden tiredness overwhelmed him and he felt his strength seep away into the ground. The last thing he could register was a calloused, tanned hand, brushing strands of hair from his slowly closing eyes.

"Vaan.." Penelo would have screamed, but this would attract the attention of the guards they had just managed to shake off. She kneeled down beside him and reached out, but Fran held her arm and shook her head. Tears stung in her eyes as she watched blood flow freely from a large shot wound on Vaan's chest and she clung unto Balthier desperately, who wrapped an arm around her as she cried on his shoulder.

"He'll be okay, right? Please say he'll be alright Balthier, please.." He pulled her closer and watched his hands behind her back, stained with Vaan's blood. Balthier felt his stomach turn and looked at the young pirate. The large wound on his chest was leaking crimson, blood flowed over his skin, following the contour of his ribcage as it spilled on the ground, mixing with the dirty water sewers were full of. All the brunet could see was red, his hands started shaking in horror and fear. Vaan's mouth fell open and blood trickled from his lips, staining his face.

Balthier felt Penelo shake in his arms, wetting his bloodied clothes with a waterfall of tears. He wanted to look away from the sickening sight of Vaan pierced by a bullet, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the thick, warm fluid staining more and more of Vaan's body. He saw Fran's hands move over the wounded chest as she whispered healing spells like her life depended on it. Penelo started trashing in his arms and Balthier placed one of his hands on her soft blond hair, gently pushing her closer against his shoulder.  
"Say he'll be alright!" She yelled, the volume of her voice toned down by the fabric of his shirt.

"He'll be alright." He said, trying to believe his own words. There was no way Vaan would be dying here. He couldn't be. "He'll be alright."  
Fran casted more and more spells but the bleeding didn't stop and Balthier felt himself panic slightly. He came to, realizing he couldn't afford to break down in front of Penelo right now. He couldn't break down in front of anyone, when all he really wanted to do was cry. He wanted to keep telling himself things were going to be fine, but the sight of crimson took his words and rendered him silent.

A silence hurting in a way he had never felt before.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated!_


	3. Echo

**A/N: **Much later than I had hoped it would be, here's the final part of this fanfic! Many things happened here, so I got delayed quite a lot. There'll be a slightly longer author's note at the end as usual :) As I announced at the ending of 'Sound of the Underground', **this is the very first fanfiction I have written, meaning there are mistakes and ways of writing I don't use anymore. Please keep this in mind when reviewing :) **That being said, please enjoy! :Meresta  
**Summary: **An echo, as all that remains.  
**Rating: **T  
**Warnings: **Slightly suggesting a malexmale pairing, language, violence, blood, use of weapons, OC for plot purposes, I'm probably forgetting things.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy XII, or Final Fantasy XII; Revenant Wings.

* * *

**Echo**

"How is he?" A young blond girl stood in the doorframe, holding a white lily.  
"No change." Balthier answered, letting go of Vaan's hand. "His pulse is still weak."  
Fran entered the small room, sat beside the bed and carefully started to remove the bloodied bandages, they had to be kept clean.  
"It is a miracle he is still breathing." She added. "He is very lucky."  
"That's Vaan alright.." Penelo said, placing the lily on the small table by the bed. She wanted to smile but seemed unable to, so she sat down next to Fran and looked at her unconscious partner.

When the way was clear, Balthier had carried Vaan back to the Strahl. The guest room got turned into the sick room, Penelo staying with the older pirates. Fran had taken the job of nursing him, changing his bandages and casting new healing spells every few hours. Penelo helped her the best she could, aiding with the spells and buying new potions when their stock ran low. Both took turns, sleeping when the other was awake. Balthier hadn't slept at all and stayed by the boys side day and night, checking his pulse at least twenty times a day. Penelo had protested but he would hear none of it. Vaan had been asleep for three full days now, worrying his friends more than they ever thought themselves capable of.

Days were long and nights even longer, Fran walked into the room to change the bandages again. Upon entering she found Balthier holding Vaan's hand close to his temple, sleeping. Clinging sounds of glass potion bottles woke him and he looked at Fran, feeling slightly caught. She sighed and started her routine, eyeing Balthier with a soft, red gaze.  
"You should rest." She said, throwing away the dirty bandages. The brunet cringed at the sight of Vaan's wound. It was healing, but it still looked terrible and the bleeding hadn't stopped. When fresh bandages covered the horrid sight, he released his breath.  
"I wish I could." He shared a silence with his partner, watching her take care of their younger friend.  
"I shouldn't have left him alone."  
"He is not a child anymore. Do you not remember your own mistakes?" Her words made Balthier think for a moment. "You can not save him from his own life." She added, heading out of the room. When she was gone, the older pirate sighed and picked up Vaan's hand again, checking his pulse. After confirming a soft, shallow beat, he dropped his head and took a deep breath.

All his life, he had never broken a single promise. Not as a kid, not as a teen, not as a man. Not as a rebel, not even as a pirate. Not even the silly promises you make to have a few laughs. Not even the promises that seemed impossible to keep. Though his promises were few and rare, everything he said you could rely on, bet your life on, no exceptions made. That's why the sky pirate rarely ever had to say sorry, or offer his apologies. He never had to admit his mistakes, because he avoided making them, avoided making promises he couldn't keep.

Vaan, on the other hand, was of a different kind. He would run around shouting the most silly words, convinced he would make them come true. He would take Penelo by the hand and drag her outside at night, promising her that one day, they would fly all the way to the moon. He'd promise Migelo a five-storey building and all the Gil he could hold so he'd never have to worry again. He promised Ashe to protect her with his life, how empty that promise may have sounded coming from a seventeen year old kid; which he was at that time. He promised his brother not to cry, he promised his friends not to leave. All these promises are promises simply impossible to keep, yet he keeps making them.

Balthier couldn't understand any of it. How was he supposed to gain the respect he desired so, with empty words and broken vows? Now, it started to dawn on him. For Vaan, it's not about keeping the promises he makes, it's about showing you _want_ to keep them. He cares little about whether he is able to or not. When he promises Penelo the moon, he does so because he _wants_ to give her the moon. When he promises Ashe to protect her with his life, he does so because he _wants_ to protect her with his life. Though Migelo knows he'll never get that building, though his brother knew tears would be shed, the promises Vaan made them caused a warm, happy feeling inside their hearts.  
_That's_ what Vaan really made them for.

He probably never expected Balthier to save him at all.

A sigh spilled from the brunet's lips as he looked at Vaan. Outside, war made more and more victims- inside, the young pirate slept. They could well use his optimism now, his hope.  
His promises.

Balthier took Vaan's hand to check his pulse again, when it moved slightly. Almost afraid that his lack of sleep got the better of his sight, he blinked and looked closely at his friend. When the said friend, opened his eyes slowly, Balthier withheld the urge to scream of joy. Instead, he got right back into his rightful position: the one of the leading man. He let go of Vaan's hand and greeted his sleepy eyes with a smile.  
"I don't recall giving you permission to just jump into the fire like that." Vaan blinked, recognizing his older friend though the room was dark. It took him a while to wrap his mind around what had happened, but he got to it fairly quick. He opened his mouth to speak, his voice almost as a whisper:  
"Since when do I need your permission?"

The first promise Balthier ever broke, was one he'd never have to apologize for.

It took Vaan a day to get back into normal rhythm and it took Penelo four hours before she was able to let go of him. Before they knew it, the young pirate was back with the living, bouncing around as much as his bandages would let him. The bleeding had stopped completely and a healthy looking scar had formed on his chest. Vaan had grown fond of that scar quickly, secretly proud, as if he finally had a visible sign of being a real sky pirate. When Balthier told him he didn't need scars to prove that, Vaan made loud exclamations saying he knew that. Of course he knew that.

***

If Ashe had known how horrible Rabanastre's own dungeon was, she would never have thrown anyone in. Nalbina still was scarier, but the ones of the Royal Castle were small and muggy. In Nalbina you could still somehow 'socialize' with other prisoners, here you were alone and you didn't even have the room to walk a circle. The only upside about these dungeons were the fact that you couldn't literally be thrown in, but bruises would form soon enough if you want to keep the rats away from chewing on your body while you sleep.  
Ashelia cleaned her hands on her dress and sat down on the small iron bench, staring at the rat she just killed. No matter how many of the dirty creatures she'd fight, they would always come back with backup. They didn't scare her though, in her quest for peace three years ago, she had seen monsters more disgusting than one tiny rat could ever be. What _did_ scare her, were the walls. They were so, _so_ close to her and it seemed just like they were getting closer every second. Whenever she seemed to lose her head, she closed her eyes and took deep, long breaths in attempt to calm her mind.  
She was _never_ going to throw _anyone_ in the dungeons again.

"Good morning dear." Devont opened the door of her cell and placed a tray with bread and water next to his wife on the bench. He sat down on the other side and kissed her cheek. Ashe just stared at him, as her husband had not lifted the spell yet. Three full days now, she was silenced and it has gotten so far she didn't even feel the pain anymore. She did wince when Devont touched her throat gently, the touch of his hand stinging on her skin. She tried to slap his hand away but he caught her wrist and shook his head.  
"Easy darling, I just want to see if your vocal cords broke."  
Ashe's eyes widened slightly. Break? Could vocal cords break? Well that would explain the pain she felt on the nerve-racking night of her failed escape. He traced a few lines on her skin and she bit her lip in pain.  
"Do you want to know why I'm doing this?" Devont asked suddenly, withdrawing his hand and looking at it as if Ashe's broken voice lingered on his fingertips. She didn't react, but eyed him with a cutting stare. He continued.  
"You know what it feels like, right? Wanting to avenge someone you care about? I'm avenging my father."  
Ashelia would have asked a thousand questions if her voice would let her, but all she could do was wait for him to tell her more.

Ancient legends speak of the Dynast King, founder of Dalmasca, receiving a treaty blade from the Gods of Ivalice. He had to use this blade to cut three pieces from the Sun Cryst and give them to his descendants. The three pieces were as followed: the Dusk Shard, the Dawn Shard and the Midlight Shard. But, instead of consisting of just one piece of nethicite, like the Dusk and Dawn Shard, the Midlight Shard were two pieces of nethicite. Both Dusk and Dawn shard were kept in Dalmasca, where the Midlight shard had been given to the house of Nabradia. Here, one part was put under the protection of the Rozarrian Feliz Remis and the other was kept in the castle. When war came upon Nabradia, Archadia managed to get hold of the first piece of nethicite. To prevent them getting the second part as well, Feliz fled back to Rozarria with his two sons, Devont and Al-Cid. Fortunately, Archadia didn't know the Midlight Shard had two parts and assumed they owned it completely already. With hope that the second part won't ever be discovered, Feliz hid it and told his eldest son, Devont, the hiding location. When Feliz died, Devont and Al-Cid were taken in house Margrace as adopted sons of an high ranking aristocrat.

"When my father died, I went to retrieve the shard right away and the rest you know." Ashe closed her eyes, she did know the rest. The rest is the present they live in right now.  
"My father should have been emperor. He was the one who saved Nabradia _and_ Rozarria from Archadia, yet he received nothing but a shameful death in return. House Solidor never acknowledged the sacrifice he had made to protect Ivalice from the nethicite. No one did. They will regret that."  
He got up from the bench and kissed Ashe on her forehead.  
"And I'm using you to make them." The queen gazed at the dead rat again, now turning into food for the other rats. "I shall expand the Rozarrian Empire to a force able to rule the world and claim my rightful position as emperor. I need Dalmasca to do that." He headed for the door.  
"If your friends try to stop me again, they will pay with their lives." With those words he left the silent queen alone in her cramped, dark cell. One of the rats had climbed up the bench to steal the bread, but Ashe reacted quickly and punched it against the wall. Being surrounded by animal corpses and rotten bread wasn't what scared her at this point; it was watching her husband speak with a voice, craving for revenge. He desired this power more than he desired life and Ashe could recognize that feeling. Even the smallest piece of deifacted nethicite (literally meaning 'god made nethicite'), has the power to destroy an empire twice the size of Archadia, burning the complete east continent off the map. Holding that power in the palm of your hand moves something inside you, turns a switch inside you. Ashe had found the way to turn that switch off again, saving Ivalice by doing so.  
If Devont doesn't find that switch soon, it would all have been for nothing.

***

Vaan was back to full heath, so Fran and Balthier took off again. The wheat blond had to promise Balthier he'd _never_ put shame to a pirate's honor _ever_ again, getting hurt so easily. Vaan countered, claiming his act to be the heroic display of the century. The brunet wasn't ready to agree, but a stern look from Fran prevented him from snapping back.  
Penelo hid some Gil in the pocket of the older pirate's vest the night before their department. Vaan had protested, but when his partner told him she considered it payment for their care, he ceased his questions. They both knew the older pirate was too proud to accept 'salary' given to him in public; this way he couldn't refuse.

They left without much ruckus, as if they had never been there in the first place. That night, Vaan sat on the sofa in the main room of the ship, Penelo beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. The sun was setting and birds were heard outside as they readied themselves for the night ahead.  
"So..now what." Vaan asked, eyeing Penelo with concern.  
"Don't worry." She said softly. Raising her hand up to eyelevel, she studied the blue ink on her fingers with much interest. "I took care of it."  
Vaan frowned.  
"I guess I won't ask any questions."  
"You'll see soon enough."  
"You're more dangerous than they give you credit for."  
"I know."  
"Yeah, but they don't."  
"It's better they don't."

***

"Are you sure about leaving?" Fran asked, pressing a few buttons of the Strahl's controls.  
"Of course I am."  
Fran frowned at him, suggesting him to either tell the truth, or lie with more confidence.  
"Fran, please, what do you take me for? Vaan's better, no reason to stay. We have treasure to locate." Keeping his eyes on the sky before him, he turned the steer a little.  
Fran didn't respond, she just turned back to her controls and did what she was expected to do. She knew what was going on and she didn't have to be a Viera to notice it.  
Balthier's confidence, still wasn't enough.

***

_Dear Larsa,_

_I hope you will receive this letter in time._

"I'm sorry but you can not pass."  
"Who gave you these orders?"  
"His Highness Lord Remis Margrace, Lord Margrace."  
Al-Cid huffed. So it _was_ true. He nonchalantly pushed the guard aside and proceeded through the dungeons.  
"Lord Margrace, please halt; we will use violence if necessary."  
"Will you? Each man for his own then."  
"What?" Before the guard had comprehended what Al-Cid told him, the said man was already out of sight. The guard shouted for back-up and gave chase.

_I'm sure that you will need to read this twice before you will believe it, still I'm asking for your complete trust. We can't afford wasting more time doubting._

Ashe looked up at the sound of hurried footsteps, giving the rat she was about to kill a chance to escape. When she saw Al-Cid storming towards her cell, she was caught off guard.  
"Lady Ashe!" He shouted, shocked to find her indeed locked up. His own brother doing such things.  
"..." Ashelia was still silenced, making it impossible for her to explain her situation. Al-Cid didn't wait for an explanation though, he forced the lock and reached out for her. She took his hand and let herself be dragged along towards the exit.

_Ashe was forced to marry Devont. He's threatening to use nethicite. Where he got it and what he plans on doing with it, we don't know. I'm sure you are just as surprised to find nethicite still in existence as we were when Vaan told us. Still, we believe this to be the truth. _

The guard giving chase advanced quickly and Al-Cid noticed them coming closer every second.  
"Excuse me Lady Ashe!" He said, winking at her before he lifted her up in his arms and continued running. The queen still couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening, all she knew was that she won't let go, not this time. She was getting out of here, to save Dalmasca. To save Ivalice. She would have screamed when Al-Cid almost tripped, but the spell prevented that.

_I know about your connection with Al-Cid, that's why I'm asking you this. It will be extremely difficult for him to take your word above his brother's, but I have faith in your ways of persuasion. Vaan and I are powerless right now, but you are not. We have to work together if we want to save Ivalice. Ashe._

A few meters before the exit, Ashe recognized Basch. He was standing just outside the castle, gesturing to Al-Cid he was ready. The said man nodded and ran a little faster. When he reached the former knight, he carefully handed the queen over to him.  
"She's all yours, don't break her." Al-Cid said, taking his sunglasses from his pocket. Basch nodded and ran, holding Ashe bridal style against his chest. The adrenaline rushing through her body got the better of her and she spilled a tear, clinging onto her friend tightly. The guards approached Al-Cid, swords drawn. He put on his sun glasses and spread his arms, preventing the guards from following Basch and Ashe.  
"Step aside and we will spare you!" One of the guards shouted.  
"How could you.." Al-Cid spoke softly, sounding disappointed and hurt.  
"Step aside!" The guard repeated.  
"How could you!" Drawing his own sword, Al-Cid lashed out; buying the escapers as much time as he possibly could.

_Therefore, I am asking you to aid us in helping Ashe escape. We need to get her out of that castle as soon as possible. Meanwhile, you could negotiate with Nabradia for a temporary alliance, to fend off the remaining__ soldiers from the Rozarrian Alliance. This will stop the unnecessary bloodshed and hopefully bring an end to this awful war. I know you were against allying with Nabradia at first, but as you have read, circumstances have changed._

Basch couldn't keep track of the steps he was taking, running faster and faster still. Just a little more until the final gate and their freedom. Just a little..  
"Escaping during broad daylight. How brave." Ashe's eyed widened and Basch almost dropped her when the two recognized Devont walked up to the gates. Basch put the queen down, drew his sword and pointed it at the King, rage rushing through his blood.  
"You have betrayed Dalmasca, betrayed our queen!"  
"Betrayed Dalmasca? I AM Dalmasca!"  
"You are not the one I pledged my life to!"

_With love, Penelo._

"ASHE!" The queen looked up to see a blond girl running towards her, followed closely by Vaan. She let go of Basch his arm and ran towards her friends, Penelo took her by hand to guide her towards the airship.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Devont said. He moved his hand to his pocket and took a shining shard out of it. The light was blinding and the air around them started to feel thick and heavy.

"Nethicite.." Basch whispered. Penelo came to an halt immediately and eyed Vaan with fear.

"You'd kill us all if you use that now!" Vaan shouted.  
"You thought I didn't _know_ that?!" He raised the stone up in the sky.  
"For all these years, all these horrible years of living as trash and eating the _dust_ they kicked in my face." Ashe watched him talk, terrified. "Do you have ANY idea at all?"

"It doesn't have to be like this!" Basch attempted. "Honor can be restored!"

"CAN IT?" Devont yelled, his voice high and ragged. "I didn't think so! NO ONE can bring my father back to me and give him the honor he deserved!"

"His..father?" Penelo whispered to Ashe, who could only nod. She was the only one understanding what Devont spoke of, yet she stood powerless.

"Therefore," He continued. "therefore I shall take this honor myself!" He brought the shard down and covered it with his other hand, gently stroking the metal-looking surface. "I wanted him to look down on Ivalice, see his son fulfilling his dream.. taking everything he should have received.. restoring honor and glory to the name of Remis.." His voice seemed to sound sad for a minute, but he recovered quickly.  
"But if you insist on stopping me, I will show him in the Heavens!"

"There is no Heaven for traitors!" Basch shouted, taking small steps towards Devont who held the nethicite like he was about to activate it any minute.

"My father was no traitor! He saved Rozarria, _Nabradia_, a land not even his home! He ensured the nethicite wouldn't end up in the wrong hands!

"He failed." A sudden voice sounded. Everyone looked at the castle to see Al-Cid, his clothes drenched in blood, sword in hand.

"Brother. Are you saying you betray your own name?"  
"No. I am saying your hands are wrong."  
"Who are you to decide!" He raised the nethicite, a gust of Mist knocked his brother off his feet.  
"AL-CID!" Penelo shouted while the younger brother struggled to get back up. Devont laughed.  
"You're all too late, I am tired of waiting. You!" He pointed the nethicite at Penelo and Vaan who where shielding Ashe. "Return my wife to me!"

"Not very clever, are you?" Another voice sounded. A large airbike landed beside Vaan and Penelo, with Fran behind the steer and Balthier in the back. He jumped off in one fluid motion and grabbed his gun, pointing it at Devont. "Are you really expecting a _sky pirate_ to _return_ the treasure he found?"

Devont felt his anger growing, boiling in his blood. The shard was bleeding more and more Mist and the air around them got thicker and suffocating.  
"Do not mock me!" He raised the nethicite dangerously and another gust made it very hard for the older pirate to hold his stance. Fran had rushed over to Ashe and started to help Penelo with charging the Vox she was trying to cast.

"Balthier!" Vaan yelled, quite surprised to find him here but grateful all the same. The brunette tapped his temple and nodded at the wheat blond.  
"Told you we're always closer than you think. Princess!" He threw his gun at a Ashe, who was startled but managed to catch it anyway. "Hold on to this for me, will you?"  
"What are you planning to do?" Basch asked his comrade, not trusting the grin spreading across the older pirate's features.  
"If I told you, you would stop me." He answered, noticing the wounded Al-Cid still on the ground. The sight of his bloodied appearance made his stomach turn in disgust and he averted his eyes quickly, now was not the time to be scared. He took a few steps in direction of Devont, who's eyes were glowing in wicked fury.

"Balthier, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" Vaan said, sure that his older friend had a death wish.  
The man eyed Fran for a moment, she comforted him with a small nod which was all he needed; without giving it a second thought, he charged at Devont, knocking him against the ground with his own body.

Devont had not been expecting this move, but managed to keep hold of the nethicite. He caught Balthier's fist in his own and threw him against the bars of the gates. The pirate could hear Penelo scream and he felt something flow down his skin. Looking at his shoulder, he noticed a small trail of blood trickling from the back of his head down on his skin, painting his white dress shirt crimson. He panicked completely and felt himself become dizzy. Basch noticed Balthier's fear and when Devont approached the pirate to finish the job, he charged at the king, sword in hand.

The king was aware of the vain attempt and decided to leave the brunet pirate be until he had taken care of the armed knight, provoking a duel. Basch appeared no match for the nethicite wielder and he was slashed down to the ground in no time. A scream of pain spilled from his lips as he clutched his right arm, Devont's laughter echoing in his ears.

"Fools!" He said, more and more Mist replacing the clear blue sky. Penelo started coughing, almost choking on the thick air filling her lungs.  
"Are you watching, darling? Do you see it now? If it hadn't been for you, this would have not been necessary. They could have lived." He lifted the nethicite and started the final activation ritual.  
Ashe looked up at her husband, tears streaming on her face but no sound to accompany them. All this time, she could have warned someone. Could have told someone, before it got out of hand. At the Phon Coast, when she saw Balthier and Fran. At Mt. Bur Omisace. So many chances, yet she threw them all away.

Determined to keep her friends from danger, she decided to face the threat of the nethicite all by herself. She would fight this man on her own, endure in silence till the right time would come for her to regain her thrown. She would have earned his trust and killed him in his sleep, fate knows how but she would have. She would have protected Dalmasca, Ivalice. Protected the ones she wanted to protect, the ones worth fighting for.  
But now, she sat kneeled unto the ground, shaking, crying, realizing she failed. Broken, worthless, no words left to speak.

"_That's one nasty cut you got there princess."_

"_We're going, we have to show Ashe that we support her and want her to be happy. That's what friends are for, right?"_

"_Here, I end my short speech. Cheers, to the most beautiful couple of Ivalice."_

_My congratulations to the both of you, may you rebuild Dalmasca with the same love you share._

"_I said we're going to see her. She owes us an explanation."_

"_We were worried..you've not been yourself lately.."_

"_Why are you doing this?"_

"_He's using you, isn't he?"_

"_You're too proud to lie convincingly."_

"_You should have come to us! We would have protected you!"_

"_I got a letter saying I'd want to check the dungeons."_

"_This'd better make you happy."_

"_We're not leaving. Not this time."_

"_Then come with us, let us help you."_

"_Didn't you hear him princess? We're not leaving."_

"_What did you do to her. Tell me, what did you do!"_

"_No! I'm not leaving you with him!"_

"_He has-"_

"_Lady Ashe!"_

_When you find the one thing you're looking for, don't ever let it go._

"_They could have lived."_

**BANG!**

All screams faded as the large gun toppled from Ashelia's fingers, gunpowder burning on her skin. Penelo's eyes widened when she saw Devont sink to the ground, blood flowing from the shot wound in his chest. He managed to look at his wife through half lidded eyes as the life was slowly sapped from his being. This wasn't what he had wanted. He only wanted to restore his father's name, his honor, his pride, using the nethicite. Instead, the nethicite used him, took over his mind and will, making him crave for power. It was a death, more shameful than his father's.  
"..f..father..I.."

Al-Cid had found enough strength to get up and rushed to his brother as fast as his wounded body would let him. He clasped his hands around Devont's and stroked them gently.  
"You had a nightmare again brother, you woke us all up." Al-Cid showed a warm smile.  
Devont's eyes filled with tears as he eyed his brother.  
"..I'm...."  
"I know. It was just a bad dream." He softly squeezed his brothers hands. "Go back to sleep."  
Devont nodded and closed his eyes, to never open them again. It was over.

Ashe's tears had drenched Penelo's clothes. She felt drained, hurt, tired. So, very tired. Over the blond girl's shoulder the queen could see Balthier and Basch, lying not far from lifeless on the ground, blood everywhere. She forced her eyes shut, not wanting to face the reality of what has happened. The last thing she registered was Penelo carrying her, all the way back to the Galbana.

Fran took care of Balthier, Vaan helped her get the airbike back to the ship. Al-Cid smiled as Basch opened his eyes and asked what happened.  
"The Lady Ashe saved us all." He said, supporting the knight as they too, walked back to the ship.

***

One month later, peace had returned to the lands of Ivalice. Lord Larsa had formed a temporary alliance with Nabradia and the Rozarrian empire retreated, where after a peace was signed. Penelo was trying to find the right words to write, feeling a gratitude stronger than any language could describe. After writing three sentences, scrapping them, trying and scrapping, someone knocked on her door. Surprised, she put away her quill and turned in her chair.  
"Come in."  
The door opened and behind stood Larsa, wearing a reassuring smile. Speechless, the blond got up from her chair, took a few hesitant steps in his direction, before both teens launched at each other in a fit of hugs, smiles and a million soft 'thank you's'.

The cabin next to hers was Vaan's, who took his ear off the wall with a wide grin, just in time to avoid the pillow flung at him.  
"I was only checking if they were ok!" Vaan protested, throwing the pillow back at Balthier who caught it skillfully.  
"Hey, they were not the ones wounded here." Balthier said.  
"Yeah, because they weren't _stupid_ enough to _tackle_ someone holding _nethicite_." Vaan ducked just in time to avoid the pillow hitting his head, when Fran entered.  
"Fran, please help him understand I planned the whole thing."  
The Viera frowned at her partner before catching on to his trail of thought.  
"Why? Even I did not understand."  
"Wait," Vaan started, switching from looking at Fran and Balthier. "you _planned_ it?"  
"Of course!" The older pirate said as if it were obvious. "You have to admit, the princess did quite well."  
"But.. how did you know she would fire?" The wheat blond asked, confused.  
"You know that letter I got, saying to check Nalbina?"  
Vaan nodded, not sure what this had to do with anything.  
"It was signed 'Amalia'."  
"She had not given up for one single moment." Fran said, sounding like she knew all along.  
"Amalia.." This name sounded familiar to Vaan. "Wasn't that the name Ashe took on in the resistance?"  
"Three cheers for the desert thief!" Balthier exclaimed, rolling his eyes in sarcasm. The 'desert thief' grunted, slinging another pillow in direction of his older friend. Fran found this the right time to leave the room. Little did this thief know, her partner would not have had the strength to trust Ashe, weren't it for him and his infinite promises. His infinite hope.

***

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, had lost her voice forever. The final silence had lasted too long to be undone and not even the strongest royal mage could cast a Vox, powerful enough to cure her.  
She had gotten used to silent life though and with help of Penelo, she learned sign language. Basch asked Penelo to teach him too and she was happy to do so. Their hours of silent conversation were new memories for the blond girl, _woman_, to write down in a brand new diary Vaan got her for her twentieth birthday. Slowly but surely she was able to let go of the past and allow queen Ashe a place in her heart again.

Ashelia offered her apologies to the people of Dalmasca, Rozarria, Archadia and Nabradia, with Basch as her interpreter. She had been nervous but responsible and had made her people proud once again.

Everyone attended to this public event, so Al-Cid, Larsa, Penelo, Vaan, Balthier and Fran were there too. When the people before the queen started to cheer, a soft, genuine smile of gratitude and care appeared on her features. Her eyes met the eyes of her friends, each and everyone of them, before she formed her hands into an almost invisible 'thank you'. Her silent words were heard.

Her voice would echo eternally in their hearts, until the day they stop beating.

**Fin.**

* * *

_**Author's Note  
**I wasn't really sure whether to publish this fic or not, since it's quite old. However at the end of it, I'm glad I did :) I hope you all enjoyed the ride!  
Thank you time;  
shiroi-kamaitachi, truelove08, Original-Elfkin, R.; For reviewing and making me update! I really enjoyed hearing what you thought of it, so thanks a lot!  
Everyone who favorited this story/added it to story alerts; For letting me know that you enjoyed reading what I wrote!  
All readers; For reading! Thanks!_

_Honestly, I have NO clue on what I should write next. A few things are running through my head but none of them are solid enough to write. As usual, any suggestions are welcome if you have them :) For now, I'm tuning out! Take care everyone~!_

_:Meresta_


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